


I Found

by Liz_Night



Series: My Obikin Week 2018 stories [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Health Issues, M/M, Mpreg, Multi, Pregnancy, alternate universe shortly after start of ROTS, there will be a happy ending!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-08-20 02:41:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16547273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liz_Night/pseuds/Liz_Night
Summary: After Obi-Wan nearly falls to his death, he and Anakin share a night together that he regrets. Yet, shortly after returning to Coruscant, Obi-Wan finds himself pregnant and his world crashing down around him. Together, he and Padme flee the capital and the beginnings of the empire before Sidious can use them to make Anakin into his apprentice.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This kinda snowballed out of control. I have three more chapters written out and just need typed. It was supposed to be maybe 4000 words at most. I just doubled that in the past few days...
> 
> Playlist:
> 
> 1\. I Found - Amber Run
> 
> 2\. Can't Help Falling in Love - Twenty One Pilots
> 
> 3\. Somewhere Only we Know - Keane
> 
> 4\. The one That got Away - Civil Wars
> 
> 5\. World Gone Mad - Bastille
> 
> 6\. Gone, Gone, Gone - Phillip Phillips
> 
> 7\. Stone Cold - Demi Lovato

Obikin Week Day 4: Scars/Different Path 

I Found

 

“He will not let me down. He never has.”

Curse this war, Obi-Wan had another headache. He shut the door to his rooms behind him and collapsed on his couch. He was weary, yet his mind would not allow him rest. He rolled over, facing the back of the couch and closed his eyes, sinking into himself.

There was something. Something that he’d seen or heard that did not settle well on his mind. Obi-Wan breathed slowly and began evaluating his memories.

_Pain. He’d nearly been crushed after being thrown around. His mind was fogged from the sheer amount of pain. “Kill him. Kill him now.”_

Obi-Wan opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, head throbbing.  The Chancellor had ordered Anakin to kill Count Dooku. But if there’d been time for him to give the order so calmly, then surely Dooku hadn’t been a threat at that moment. Could Anakin have really killed an unarmed man?

He bit his lip as a chill went down his spine. He hadn’t trusted Chancellor Palpatine for a very long time, but it couldn’t be possible for the leader of the Republic to have someone executed.

No, it simply wasn’t possible. Count Dooku had proven to be dangerous before, even without his lightsaber.

Obi-Wan slowed down his breath once more, growing calmer with each exhalation. He cleared his mind, pain dulling with every inhale and exhale. Soon he was fast asleep.

_They were below the droids._

_The path along the side of the cliff was narrow, but wasn’t the smallest precipice that Obi-Wan had stood on since becoming a Jedi._

_He was whispering to Anakin when they heard blaster fire. The rock above them shattered and Obi-Wan jerked his head up. A droid aimed its blaster at him and he reflexively took a step back. His heel slid off of the cliff face and he lost his balance. As he dropped away, blaster fire falling around them, he saw Anakin’s eyes widen and mouth drop open. Fear stole into his heart._

_He hit the water hard, the air slammed from his lungs. He must have passed out because he awoke on shore, freezing cold. Coughs were forced from his lungs, his ribs aching. A warm body sheltered him and urged him to keep breathing._

_“A-Anak-kin?” he asked, teeth chattering._

_“Obi-Wan,” Anakin sighed. “You scared the shit out of me.”_

_“The droids?”_

_“Rex and Cody took care of them,” he answered. “We’d thought that you’d swim up, but when you didn’t I dove in after you.”_

_“Where are they?”_

_“They’re coming,” he said. His head dropped to rest on the man’s shoulder. “Obi-Wan, don’t do that to me again. I thought that I lost you.”_

_He rested cold fingers in the younger man’s dripping hair. “I wish that I could tell you that I wouldn’t, but we both know that that would be a lie. But I was afraid. I didn’t want to die.”_

_Anakin’s head rose up and they looked at each other, only a few inches of space between them. Obi-Wan could feel the younger man’s breath on his chilled lips._

_Then Anakin rushed forward and his lips warmed Obi-Wan’s. A distant shout made the older man jerk back, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of his former student._

_“Obi-Wan,” Anakin said softly, heat in his eyes and voice._

_For the first time in many years, Obi-Wan found himself speechless._

_As Cody and the rest of the clones reached them, Anakin pulled away from him. As Kix examined him, Obi-Wan noticed Cody look between the two generals._

_“No head injury from what I can see. I’d prefer you to rest,” Kix said, returning Obi-Wan’s focus, “but we need to get out of the open before we make camp.”_

_“Rex and Kix, stay with General Kenobi,” Anakin said. “Don’t let him out of your sight.”_

_“Yes, sir,” the two clones answered._

_Together, Cody and Anakin chose a nearby set of caves on their map for their camp. They gave the rest of the men their orders and set out._

_“How are you doing, General?” Rex asked, blaster held ready in case they came across any more hostiles._

_“I’ll make it, Captain,” the Jedi said, suppressing his shivers._

_“Of course, General,” the man replied._

_They soon reached the caves and they quickly built camp around Obi-Wan, who wearily leaned against the wall. His eyes drifted closed._

_Gentle hands guided him to lie down and divested him of cloak and boots. Soon a fire was warming his body. Fingers combed through his damp hair and he turned his head into the hand. He raised his own hand and rested it on the leg beside him._

_“Cody sent our ship a call to pick us up,” Anakin whispered. “They’ll be here in a few hours. Rest for now, Master.”_

_Obi-Wan nodded and fell asleep, hand still gripping Anakin’s leg. He dreamed of not being able to breath and arms wrapping around him. He dreamed of being cold and warm lips meeting his._

 

_Obi-Wan woke slowly in his own bunk. His clothes and hair were dry and blankets kept him warm. There was something hard and rough in his hand. He raised it to see what it was._

_“It was in your cloak. It’s some kind of native shellfish as far as we can tell.”_

_“Why keep it?” Obi-Wan asked. He turned to look at Anakin, not surprised in the least to find him sitting beside him._

_Anakin shrugged. “Some have pearls inside of them.”_

_Obi-Wan looked at the shell in his hand and probed it with the Force. The organism inside had already dissolved into the Force. Carefully, he opened it and found a single bright blue pearl inside._

_“It’s the same color as your eyes,” Anakin said softly._

_Obi-Wan looked up at his friend. His mouth opened slightly as Anakin leaned forward. He held his cheek with a calloused hand and pressed their lips together._

_Anakin drew back, eyes still closed. “If I’m reading this wrong, tell me. I’ll leave and we’ll never talk about it again.”_

_Obi-Wan surged forward, sealing their lips together. Anakin crawled over him, nipping and kissing down the man’s neck. “Anakin,” he sighed, throwing his head back._

_“Thought that I lost you,” Anakin murmured into his neck. “I couldn’t live without you.”_

_Obi-Wan leaned forward, pushing Anakin up so that they were face to face. “You don’t have to,” he said softly, holding his head in his hands._

_Anakin kissed him, hands questing to the other’s belts. “Is this okay?”_

_Obi-Wan nodded quickly, his own hands at Anakin’s hips._

_He undid the belts and tossed them over the side of the bed. He pulled the layers of Obi-Wan’s robes open and spread them wide. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, stroking a pale shoulder._

_The man beneath him shivered and pulled open Anakin’s own belts. He sat up, licking a stripe up his neck to his ear. “Says the one that looks like the artwork of gods.”_

_Anakin sighed, lifting his hands to the man’s back. “The things that you do with that mouth. You could charm anyone into your bed if you wanted to.”_

_“Only you,” he said, nuzzling. “It’s only ever been you.”_

_Anakin sucked in a breath and lay him back down, hovering scant inches away. “Obi-Wan, can we? I want to be with you.”_

_Obi-Wan raised his head, kissing him soundly. “I’ve been waiting a long time to hear anything like that.”_

_Anakin slid his hands under the waistband of his pants and began pulling them down. Obi-Wan’s flushed cheeks grew warmer. Anakin noticed and stopped, cocking his head to the side. “Obi-Wan?”_

_“It’s been a long time since I’ve been with someone,” he admitted. “That’s all.”_

_“Then we’ll go slow,” he replied, giving him a reassuring smile. “I’m nervous, too.”_

_Obi-Wan nodded and ducked forward, giving Anakin a kiss. He caressed his shoulder as he pulled the robes down Anakin’s arms. “I trust you with everything.”_

_Anakin swallowed, knowing exactly how much saying that meant to his former master. He pulled away and reached over the side of the bed, digging in a pouch of his belt. He came back up and handed Obi-Wan a bottle, his cheeks warm. “Then let’s do this right.”_

_Obi-Wan looked at the bottle of lubricant in his hand to the rapidly reddening Anakin over him. “Wishful thinking?”_

_Anakin looked at their laps and then off to the side, fidgeting. “After today...I thought that it could be a possibility.”_

_Obi-Wan smiled, biting his lip. He’d never been quite so fond of the other man as much as he was now. He leaned forward and kissed him languidly. “More than just a possibility,” he said as he pulled back._

_Anakin visibly gulped and followed, kissing and nipping the older man’s neck. He pulled Obi-Wan’s pants free and peeled his own off as well, dropping them beside the bed._

_“Have you ever?” Obi-Wan asked._

_“Not with a man,” Anakin admitted. He shivered as their skin brushed, something indescribably intimate in such a small thing._

_Obi-Wan’s hands found Anakin’s and squeezed, leaving the lubricant in his palm. “I need you to stretch me with your fingers.”_

_Anakin knelt between Obi-Wan’s spread thighs. “I may have read about this.”_

_“How long have you been thinking about this, Anakin?”_

_He ducked his head, grinning at him from beneath his bangs. “You’ve always been a very handsome man, Obi-Wan.”_

_Obi-Wan huffed a laugh, but smiled fondly at the blond._

_There was a click as he opened the bottle and poured some oil onto his fingers. “It… feels different than what I had expected.”_

_“Thicker and slipperier?” Anakin nodded. “You’ll be thankful for that when you’re inside of me.”_

_Obi-Wan nearly laughed at Anakin’s look of concentration as he began touching him, but it was honestly flattering._

_His questing fingers delicately caressed his sensitive skin. A shiver-from the sensation or the building anticipation, he didn’t know for sure-rose up his spine. “Anakin,” he whined. “Please.”_

_Anakin flashed a quick smile, his finger sliding in. Obi-Wan breathed slowly, releasing tension from his muscles. He arched his back, Anakin’s finger sinking in further. “More.”_

_Anakin happily obliged, watching the man beneath him in awe. Each breath, each tremble was a kind of eroticism that he’d never before seen._

_“Enough,” Obi-Wan said, flushed chest rising and falling quickly. “You. Now. I need you.”_

_Anakin grinned. “I’ve always wanted to hear you say that.” He wiped his hand on the sheet and lay it on the other man’s side._

_“Anakin,” he whined._

_He dipped down, kissing Obi-Wan on the lips softly as he put his mech hand on the man’s shoulder. He pulled back slightly, smiling down at the man in his arms before twisting._

_Obi-Wan found himself lying on top of Anakin, their groins rubbing deliciously. He lost himself for a moment, grinding breathlessly. He moaned and trembled. “Anakin, why did you?”_

_“I want to enjoy all of this,” he answered softly. “I want to watch every little thing you do.” He stroked Obi-Wan’s ribs. “I want you to feel good.”_

_“Oh, Anakin,” he sighed. He sat up, knees sliding to rest on either side of Anakin’s hips. He leaned forward, resting his weight on his arms, his body flush against the one underneath him. “Help me.”_

_Anakin’s hands rose from where they had fallen to the bed. He caressed Obi-Wan’s thighs and ass as he guided him onto his cock. A strangled exhale escaped Obi-Wan’s mouth and the blond froze._

_“No,” Obi-Wan gasped. “Don’t stop. I’m okay.”_

_He rocked back, earning a sigh from Anakin. He rose and fell slowly till Anakin was fully seated inside of him. “Oh, Anakin… It feels… It feels…”_

_“I know,” Anakin grunted, keeping as still as he possibly could. “You’re wrapped around me so tight.”_

_“I don’t know how long I can last,” he admitted._

_“Me, too,” Anakin bit out._

_Obi-Wan sat up and they both nearly saw stars. “Oh, that was nice,” he sighed, rolling his hips. He cried out, head thrown back as Anakin’s cock rubbed against his prostate._

_“Oh, Force, you’re the most amazing thing that I’ve ever seen,” Anakin gasped out, rocking up._

_“Anakin. Oh, my Ani,” Obi-Wan cried, rising up and slamming back down. “Please, please.”_

_Anakin’s hands gripped his hips. He bucked up as Obi-Wan arched his back, groaning out his pleasure._

_“Ani,” he gasped, as he came untouched, semen striping Anakin’s chest._

_He pitched forward, feeling boneless and relaxed. Anakin wrapped his arms around him and fucked up into him until he found his own release. He bit the naked shoulder before him to keep from shouting._

_They caught their breath and Obi-Wan laughed, feeling the best that he had since, well, ever._

_Anakin smiled, stroking his sweaty side. He kissed his neck and carefully moved out from under him. “Let me get us cleaned up,” he whispered._

_He moved from Obi-Wan’s side as he closed his eyes, drifting. He woke to a wet cloth gently cleaning him._

_“We’ll both need a shower later, but we won’t have crusted come on us now,” Anakin said as he dropped the cloth and lay back down._

_“Can wait,” Obi-Wan said, wrapping an arm around his waist, his head pillowed on Anakin’s chest._

_Anakin turned his head, burying his nose in red hair. “Rest, Obi.”_

_Soft breaths were his only response._

  
_He was warm. And naked._

_Obi-Wan opened his eyes. There was a warm body beneath him as naked as he was. He slowly rose up, not disturbing the man._

_He choked and threw himself off of the bed and the man inside of it. He put his head into his hands and stifled his shocked gasps._

_“Obi?”_

_He couldn’t look up. He should have known better._

_“Obi-Wan, what’s wrong?”_

_“I think that you should go back to your own bunk.”_

_“What?” Anakin asked, his voice cracking._

_“I know about your relationship with Senator Amidala,” he admitted. “I have no wish to be party to your infidelity. This was a mistake made from fear and relief. Nothing more.”_

_“Obi-Wan,” Anakin said._

_“Please leave.”_

_For a moment there was silence and then the bed creaked as Anakin rose and gathered his clothes. Obi-Wan kept his face in his hands as he dressed and opened the door._

_“I never lied about anything I told you tonight,” he said softly, closing the door behind him._

_Obi-Wan curled in on himself. He quietly sobbed, the pearl forgotten on the table by the bed._

The ceiling was the same as it always was. Tears leaked from Obi-Wan’s eyes as he looked up.

Two months.

He’d forced himself to be distant, to not tell Anakin that he was wrong. That he was sorry. That he needed him.

Anakin never changed. He still sought out the older Jedi. He still was affectionate and protective. Yet every time that he turned him away, Obi-Wan saw pain cross his face before he wiped it away.

Yet they hadn’t been on Coruscant one night and Anakin was where he was supposed to be-with his wife.

Obi-Wan had had a moment of weakness and made a terrible mistake. But, given time, he would forget the sensation of Anakin touching him. He wouldn’t ever have to hurt Padme.

There were Jedi temples all over the galaxy, some even known only to Masters. The war was coming to a close, he could feel it. Some time away would only help.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has commented and left kudos!! 
> 
> I somehow managed to have yesterday off so I typed most of this up while I had time. Then my cat gave me a heart attack (the little asshole is fine. My anxiety is not.). Since it was finished and I want to go to sleep, I'm posting a bit early.

I Found

Chapter Two

 

Obi-Wan walked into the council room early. He’d hit his shin while getting ready and it still smarted. He’d seemed to become clumsy as of late.

He sat down to collect himself before the others arrived. He looked over Coruscant in the early morning light. Ships and speeders flew in all directions even at that early hour.

“Different you are, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan turned his head towards the holofeed of Yoda.

He was looking at him strangely, a long finger tapping his chin.

“How do you mean, Master Yoda?”

Yoda paused before answering. “Around you the Force sings. Something changed it has.”

The ground suddenly seemed far away as Obi-Wan’s stomach rose to his throat.

The silence between them broke as other masters joined them. Obi-Wan quickly composed himself, saving the anxiety he was now feeling for later inspection.

Anakin followed the masters in and gave Obi-Wan a curious look.

Obi-Wan shook his head slightly and the younger man sat down.

The council meeting began without Obi-Wan paying any attention. He focused inwards, searching.

Raised voices brought him back. As always, Anakin and Mace were glaring at each other.

“Master Kenobi,” the master bit out. “Do you think your former padawan is ready to battle General Grievous on his own?”

The room turned all eyes on him and he felt a flutter of nerves. He found Anakin’s eyes among them and felt everything settle within him.

“Anakin is a strong Jedi,” he answered. “He’s shown remarkable resilience and the ability to improvise when necessary. I believe it is possible for him to face Grievous and win.”

Mace snorted, but Yoda hummed.

“A test this will be for Knight Skywalker. One of many before master rank is given,” the old master said.

“Thank you, Master Yoda,” the knight said, smiling for the first time in what seemed like a long time.

The meeting broke up not much later. Together, Anakin and Obi-Wan walked down to the ship that would take the knight to Utaupau.

“Master,” Anakin said. “Thank you for what you said in the council chamber. I didn’t expect that.”

Obi-Wan turned to Anakin, stopping him with a hand on his elbow. “Anakin, I know that things have been difficult between us for a while, but I’ve never doubted you as a Jedi.”

Anakin’s shoulders slumped in relief. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened. “Are you okay?”

He nodded and rubbed a hand over his mouth. “Obi-Wan, there’s just so much changing so quickly. Being on the council and that… assignment that I was given. You know that the Chancellor is a good man. And he’s trusting me. And… Padme. Obi-Wan, I’m having dreams again.”

“About what?”

Anakin squeezed his eyes shut, hands gripping the other man’s sleeves. “I hate to ask this of you, but you’re the only one that I trust, Obi-Wan. Please, protect Padme. I’m afraid that something will happen and she’s…”

“Hush,” Obi-Wan said softly. “I will keep the senator safe for your return.”

“You must think so little of me as a man,” Anakin said, a sad smile on his lips. “It’s okay. Sometimes I fear that you’re right.”

“Anakin-”

“Please, keep her safe. When I come back, I want to see you both,” he said.

“Come back and you will,” Obi-Wan said, heart in his throat.

Anakin nodded and enclosed the other man in his arms tightly.

“Wait for me, Obi-Wan,” he whispered, eliciting a shiver down the man’s spine.

He pulled away and entered the ship, the door closing behind him. Obi-Wan watched as the transport soared out of the atmosphere and sped away. He watched till it was long gone before turning and leaving the temple.

There were medical centers throughout the city. Many that were better staffed and funded than the one that he found himself in. But a harried staff would be less likely to remember the Jedi that visited them.

“Do you need anything?” a twi’lek woman behind the desk said, speaking over a crying child.

“Yes, could I borrow one of your medical droids?”

“You don’t need a doctor?” she asked, a hopeful look in her eye. He shook his head. “I’ll get one for you as quickly as I can. Please have a seat.”

Obi-Wan sat down. He glanced at the woman holding the crying child. Goosebumps broke out across his skin.

“Sir, i’ve got the droid if you’ll follow me,” the same woman as before said.

He followed her down a hall and she left him in a room by himself with the droid.

“How can I help you?” it asked. It’s voice was smoother than C-3PO’s.

“I need to test my blood for any… abnormalities,” he said.

“Understood. Please place your hand on mine,” it said. Obi-Wan did and felt the tip of one of his fingers pricked. “Thank you. You can take your hand back. Please wait while I examine your sample.”

Obi-Wan stared at the droid, heart pounding hard. His hands shook, sweat slicking his palms. Each second that passed seemed like years. There was a high tone and he jumped.

“Your results are ready. Your sample is perfectly healthy.” Obi-Wan felt his shoulders relax. “Congratulations are in order. You are eleven weeks pregnant.”

He staggered back against the wall, head falling back. He stared up at the ceiling, his throat thick with tears.

He’d known. As soon as Master Yoda had spoken to him, he’d known what had changed. There was only one possibility.

Anakin could be the only one who was the father. The same man who’d just admitted that he was involved with Padme and asked him to protect her.

He was pregnant. He slid down the wall and put his head in his hands. His breath hitched and tears fell down his face.

Obi-Wan couldn’t return to the temple. Not when his emotions were so out of control. Yet there was only one other place where he could go. He wasn’t sure if that would be so much better, though.

But he stood back up and faced the droid. He was never as good as Anakin at working on droids, but he did know a few useful things. He quickly accessed its interface and wiped its memory of his visit.

Obi-Wan left the clinic, dropping a handful of credits on the front desk as he passed. His world may have drastically changed, yet Coruscant seemed just as it had been every day before. He lost himself to the sounds of the city, time passing him by.

He walked, mind buzzing. Around him, the neighborhoods changed, became less crowded. He found himself in front of a door before he could really think about it, hand falling from having knocked on the door.

Padme opened the door, her brow creased. “Obi-Wan?”

He stared down at her, feeling himself crumble. Her previously slim waist was curved from the child that she was obviously carrying, her nightgown only emphasizing her bump.

“Obi-Wan?!” she asked, throwing a hand out to his arm. “Anakin, is he?”

He shook his head. “The council sent him to Utaupau,” he said through numb lips. “He’s okay.”

Tension visibly left the woman an she pulled him inside. “Then, why have you come?”

“He asked me to keep you safe until he returns,” he answered.

Padme smiled fondly. “Come sit down. I’ll make some tea.”

Obi-Wan eased back on to her couch as she left the room. He rubbed a hand over his face and breathed slowly, trying to regain control over himself.

“Fair warning that this blend may be odd. My staff replaced many of the items in my kitchen after… well, you know,” she said sheepishly. She handed him a steaming cup.

“Thank you,” he said.

She sipped from her own cup, eyeing him with concern. “Obi-Wan, is everything okay? You seem troubled.”

He delayed answering by sipping his tea. “I… I just learned some information that was surprising.”

“The pregnancy?” she asked gently.

He shook his head and then nodded. “That’s not all of it. I was overwhelmed already.”

She nodded, rubbing his arm. “With the war, you haven’t been able to rest for a while, have you?”

“None of us have,” he said simply.

She raised a hand to his shoulder. “Rest here tonight. Get some sleep without feeling like they’re going to send you out in the middle of the night.”

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“My pleasure,” she replied. “You look like you could fall asleep standing up.”

He huffed a laugh. I’ve actually done that recently. It’s not very restful.”

Padme sobered. “Anakin told me about you falling off of the cliff. He told me that he’d never seen you like that before.”

His stomach dropped. “It was… unsettling.”

“But you’re doing better?” she asked.

He nodded.

“Good,” she said. “Force knows that we need you to look after Anakin.”

Looking after Anakin. Had that been what they’d done two months ago on the ship?

He set his cup down. “Padme, it’s been a trying day. I hope that my want to go rest doesn’t make me a bad guest?”

“Of course not,” she said. She shuffled forward and pushed herself up. She smiled down at him, holding her hand out.

Guilt clogged his throat as he took her hand and rose. She led him down a hallway unaware of his distress. She stopped beside a closed door.

“You can sleep in here. There’s a bathroom attached,” she said and then bit her lip. She inhaled and set her shoulders. “There’s some clothes in the dresser if you’d like to change.”

“Thank you,” he said, opening the door. He stopped, suddenly unsure.

“Obi-Wan?”

“Does it ever scare you?” he blurted.

“The baby?” she asked.

He nodded.

She hummed for a moment. “Yes. I didn’t mean to fall pregnant in the middle of a war. I’m not sure that I ever would have chosen to have children, honestly. When other girls were caring for siblings, nieces, and nephews, I was a queen and then a senator.”

“What will you do?”

She caught his hand and squeezed it. “I’ve been talking to my sister and mother. When it gets closer, I’m going back to Naboo for the birth.”

Obi-Wan nodded. His free hand drifted to his stomach where she couldn’t see it.

“Are you sure that you’re okay, Obi-Wan?”

He flashed a quick smile at her. “You’re my friend,” he answered honestly. “I want to make sure that _you’re_ okay.”

Padme pressed her lips together, but she didn’t argue. She raised her other hand to his cheek and pulled him down so that she could kiss the opposite cheek.

“Sleep well, Obi,” she said, letting go of him. He watched her walk away and into her own room.

The room that she’d given him was finer than any he’d had for a long time. Possibly ever. Heavy curtains blocked the city’s lights. A large dresser sat against the wall, made of some dark wood. A bed large enough to fit three people was on the opposite side of the room. The air smelled spiced, yet comforting. The tension in his shoulders eased little by little.

He found simple, soft nightclothes in the dresser and took them to the bathroom. He stripped and washed, the heat of the water leaving him feeling loose and weary.

Obi-Wan stepped out, toweling off and froze. He stared at himself in the mirror. He’d always been thin. The Jedi way of life discouraged an excess of anything. Then the war had made him even leaner, living off of rations as he had been. But now… his stomach looked soft.

Obi-Wan sat down heavily, his hand resting on his stomach. He wasn’t showing yet, but he would eventually.

Tentatively, he reached his mind out once more and felt a flutter in the Force. His breath rushed from his lungs.

Joy. It felt joy.

“Hi, there,” he whispered, time falling away. He’d created this spark of life inside of him. For just that moment, alone and naked, Obi-Wan couldn’t bring himself to regret the actions that had led him to this moment.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's a few days late (several really), but I wanted to make a special update for my birthday. Then one job had me working a ton and the other was being a bitch. But I finally had time to finish and I have tomorrow off to type up the next to be updated Monday/Tuesday. I hope that you like this installment!
> 
> Happy reading!

I Found

Chapter Three

 

Obi-Wan bolted out of bed, a hand covering his mouth as he stumbled to the toilet. He barely made it in time, heaving up what meager amounts of food that he’d forced down the day before.

He knelt, shivering, his hands gripped tight. He heard quick footsteps and his door opening.

“Obi-Wan, are you okay?”

He stared up at Padme, glassy eyed. “How well do you know Palpatine?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

She knelt beside him, placing a hand to his head and then to his cheek. “Palpatine?”

“Please,” Obi-Wan pleaded softly.

She stared at him silently for only a moment. “I’ve known him since before I was queen. He mentored those who wanted to pursue public service.”

“You’re with him?” he choked out, backing against the wall.

“Obi-Wan-”

“He’s the Sith Lord. And you-you seduced Anakin for him? I thought that you truly loved him.”

“Obi-Wan,” she yelped. “I do! I love Anakin and I didn't _seduce_ him for anyone.”

He looked down and realized that tears were falling from his eyes.

“You believe that Chancellor Palpatine is the Sith Lord?”

He swallowed, bile rising once more. “I know it.”

“How?”

He looked up at her. “When Anakin and I saved the Chancellor after he was kidnapped, he said some things that did not feel right. I’ve been dreaming about it since.”

“Are you sure that you didn’t imagine it? You’ve been under so much stress.”

Obi-Wan’s hand fell to his abdomen, unnoticed. “Dreams from the Force reveal many things. When one is trained in how to interpret them, it is harder to be mislead, even by one’s self.”

Padme sat back and look at the ceiling. “I’ve seen that not all of the Chancellor’s actions and words correspond, but a Sith Lord?”

Obi-Wan leaned into the wall. “He is and he’s reached such a high position within the Republic that I fear that we are all in danger.”

She glanced at him and sighed. “Do you think that you need it anymore?” she asked, nodding to the toilet. “This isn’t exactly a conversation for the refresher floor.”

He shook his head. “Shock, I think. Do you have any mouthwash?”Padme struggled to rise and then pointed to the cabinet under the sink. “In there. I’m going to make some tea and toast.”

Obi-Wan watched her leave before he stood. He looked at himself in the mirror. He appeared quite nearly the same, yet his world was crashing.

Palpatine was the Sith Lord. His apprentice had just been killed, yet there must always be two. Who better than the one that had killed the old apprentice to become the new? Who better than Anakin?

He hung his head.

The Chancellor had been seeking Anakin out since after the Battle of Naboo. And, fool that he was, Obi-Wan had allowed him alone in his presence. He’d failed Anakin from the beginning.

He rinsed his mouth and washed his face before leaving the room.

Padme sat at a table, the holonet before her. A hologram of Anakin standing beside the Chancellor was projected before her. Both hands covered her mouth.

“I’m sorry that I accused you,” he said quietly. “I feel… that I am at fault. After all, Palpatine had already taken an interest in him long before you two were reacquainted.”

Her hands fell and she leaned forward. “He manipulated us all,” she admitted. “I believe… it’s possible that he orchestrated the attack on Naboo. He used my love for my people to make himself Chancellor. And I played right into his hand.”

He sat beside her, looking up at the two men. “He’s fooled the whole galaxy and all of the Jedi.”

“What do we do?”

Obi-Wan looked at her. Her arms encircled her waist protectively. He had to keep himself from doing the same.

“Do we tell Anakin?”

_You know that the Chancellor is a good man._

_Kill him. Kill him now._

Bile rose as he looked up at the hologram of Anakin. He was flawed, yes, and held a disregard for the rules that had often been troubling. But could he too be a Sith? Did it matter?

“He won’t believe us,” he said, voice hollow. She stared at him. “He trusts the Chancellor. He doesn’t trust the Jedi.” He swallowed. “He doesn’t trust me.”

Her hand found his and they held on to each other.

They were pregnant with Anakin’s children. If Palpatine truly wanted him as his apprentice, nothing would stop him. He’d use them to get anything from Anakin.

“Palpatine can’t be able to find you and your child. We have to leave.”

“What?” she said, hand gripping his tight suddenly.

“He probably already knows that Anakin is the father, but there has to be a limit to his power,” he explained. “We have to get far enough away that he can’t hurt you.”

“And Anakin?” she asked, tears gathering in her eyes.

Obi-Wan pressed his lips together. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his own heart aching.

The tears fell and she took her hand back to cover her face. Her shoulders shook, but she made no sound.

Obi-Wan looked up at Anakin and pushed his emotions away. He tapped a button and the hologram changed to show the galaxy. “Where should we go?”

“Naboo.”

He looked back at her. Her face was still tear stained, but her jaw was set and her eyes determined.

“That’s where they’ll look first, our home planets. We can’t-”

“Naboo,” Padme repeated. “I’m having my child at home.”

“Padme-”

“We’re both clever,” she interrupted. “They know that. We’d never go where it’s obvious that we’d want to go.”

Obi-Wan closed his mouth, considering.

“And I have a house that I inherited that neither the senate or the Nubian government know about,” she admitted.

“We can probably work with that,” he agreed.

“When do we leave?”

“Tonight,” he said nodding. “Try to appear normal, but pack and alert your staff quietly. You don’t want them here once they realize that we’re gone.”

“And you?”

He stood, hands on the table. “I’m going to find us a ship and convince the Jedi that it’s too dangerous for the Order to remain here.”

“Obi-Wan, how are you going to do that?” she asked, reaching forward and touching his hand.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But a Sith has risen to the highest position in the galaxy. Public opinion has swayed against the Jedi with the Clone Wars. I don’t think that we can take much more.”

Padme rose beside him. “Be safe, Obi-Wan. We need you to come back.”

He nodded and left the room. He changed back to his robes and looked at himself one last time. His clothes hid his body and his hood shaded his face. Even he couldn’t see the guilt that ate away at him.

The city was still dark as he walked back to the temple. Only a few people were awake so early in the morning. Even the temple was still quiet. Step by step he rose to the council chamber. An empty room greeted him.

The sky was just starting to brighten along the horizon. He watched as the city seemed to glisten and sparkle until his vision blurred. He sank down, face hidden in his hands.

They were leaving Anakin at the mercy of a Sith Lord. Could he really do it? Could he abandon the man that he still loved, even for their child? Could he take the only person that Anakin loved with him?

Could he afford not to?

“Obi-Wan?”

He raised his head and saw Master Windu framed by the door.

“Is there something the matter?”

He stood, quickly wiping his face with his sleeve. “The Order is in danger. The Sith Lord is Chancellor Palpatine.”

Mace stiffened. “We must apprehend him at once.”

“No,” Obi-Wan yelped. “There is no evidence and I fear that he has been plotting against us since long before he came to power.”

“If he’s a Sith-”

“He has the entire galaxy behind him.”

Mace stopped. “He’s made our numbers plummet and turned us into the government’s dogs in the eyes of the people. Damn him.”

“Our first duty is to protect our people,” Obi-Wan said.

Mace raised his head and turned back to him. “You have a plan? Clearly you’ve been thinking about this.”

Obi-Wan inhaled and set his shoulders. “We go to ground at the lesser Jedi temples. Set the temple’s beacon to send a call to all Jedi to disappear.”

“And how will we know when it’s safe to return?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Obi-Wan admitted. “It may not even be within our lifetimes. No one poses enough of a threat to the Chancellor.”

Mace nodded absently. “We’ll find a way to stay aware.”

Obi-Wan looked out at the city again.

“You’re not coming with us, are you?”

He shook his head.

“Senator Amidala?”

“How?” Obi-Wan asked, eyes wide.

“She’s been involved with Skywalker for so long that none of us were surprised when her pregnancy began to show,” he said. “Do they know how you feel?”

Obi-Wan swallowed. “No. They cannot know.”

“It will be hard for you to hide it once he joins you,” Mace warned.

“He won’t be joining us.”

The other master stilled beside him.

“I fear that Palpatine is nearly finished grooming Anakin to become his apprentice,” he said. “I cannot risk his children.”

“There’s more than one?”

“I’m carrying his child as well.”

“Oh, Obi-Wan,” Mace sighed.

“It cannot be helped now,” Obi-Wan said. “I will protect the Senator and the children.”

Mace raised a hand to his shoulder. “For what it’s worth, I had hoped that the three of you would find peace together when this war was over.”

“Thank you.”

“Go,” he ordered. “Even among the Council, the fewer amount of people that know, the safer that you and the Senator will be.”

His message delivered, Obi-Wan left the council chamber for the last time. He was able to reach his room without anyone stopping him. It was just as he had left it the previous day.

Tension released from his body as he curled up on his bed. He was so tired. His hand fell across his abdomen and he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

When Obi-Wan woke, he knew that much of the day had passed. The temple held an uneasy hush that had never found a home within its halls before. Obi-Wan could feel the other Jedi around him, but the Force was filled with an eerie urgency. Windu had started the evacuation.

He sat up looking around his room. He didn’t have many things. Most of his clothes would have to stay anyways. He didn’t want to take anything that would mark him as a Jedi, beyond his lightsaber.

Slowly, he stood and crossed the room. He’d been living out of the same pack for much of the war. He’d learned how to pack everything he’d need into a small space. He’d do it one last time.

Out went his robes and armor. In went what few clothes that would help him to pass as a civilian. He kept the few packs of rations that he’d always kept on hand and the first aid supplies.

Obi-Wan’s hands stilled on the bag. Did his life as a Jedi really amount to so little? Was there nothing else that could go with him?

His eyes fell on his bed stand. On the oyster and the blue pearl that lay upon it. He picked the pearl up and lay down on his bed. For all that he regretted his ill thought out actions, he couldn’t forget that night in his bunk. The oyster and its pearl were the only physical pieces of evidence except for the child growing within him.

Sighing, he reached and placed it back on his bed stand. He sat up and crossed the room to his pack. Glancing around one last time, he slung the strap over his shoulder.

Obi-Wan couldn’t bear to look back as he left first his room and then the temple. But there were only so many hours left and he still had to arrange for a ship to take them to Naboo.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have three more chapters written after this one and only about two or three left. I want to finish that pretty soon, and it's finally reaching the climax in what I'm writing, so it should go pretty quick. Because of that I'm going to try to go to weekly updates. I'm nervous with it still unfinished, but I want to finish posting it before the end of January.
> 
> Happy reading and I'll be back next week, Monday/Tuesday!
> 
> Also, it's kinda short, but the next chapter is about twice as long as this and has two certain arrivals!

I Found

Chapter Four

 

It had been over ten years since Obi-Wan had first been to Naboo. In his heart he had always been afraid that the planet would always hold the pain and grief of his last few moments with his master. But…

Naboo was beautiful.

The ship that they had taken touched down in the middle of a large forest with a lake not far off. A house hidden beneath the trees nestled near by.

He looked at Padme, her hands trembling on the controls. “I contacted my family on a secure line before we left. They prepared the house for us.”

“Will that be safe for them?”

“Our family has always been fairly private,” she admitted with a quick smile. “This isn’t our only private residence. My parents are at another.”

Obi-Wan glanced back at the house skeptically. He hadn’t seen it until they were under the treeline, yet the architect had made no efforts to camouflage it.

“Not many go this far into the forest,” she told him. “The Gungans use the lake and, despite all of us working together during the invasion, the Naboo are still wary of them.”

“It takes time to change people’s minds.”

Absently, Padme nodded. She looked across at him. “Are you ready?”

“I think so.”

“At least it’s not the war,” Padme mused.

“That will likely wind down soon,” Obi-Wan said. “Palpatine will be credited with uniting both sides.”

“How many people will die?”

Obi-Wan shrugged. “Probably less, now that the Jedi are no longer his weapons.”

Padme lay a comforting hand on his shoulder and squeezed. Together, they stood and gathered their things before departing the ship.

A cool breeze blew off of the lake, cooling the humid air. He watched the leaves shake on the branches above them. “Do the trees lose their leaves here?”

Padme shook her head. “It never gets cold enough in this region. The entire forest is made up of trees that keep their foliage year round. It’s one of the reasons that we have a home here.”

“Useful,” he mused.

“My family worried when I went into politics. They gave me this place so that I could use it to keep safe from any potential threats anytime that I needed to. I’m pretty sure that they hadn’t meant to this extent, though.”

Obi-Wan smiled at her. “Is this where you and Anakin hid?”

Padme’s expression stilled, but she continued walking. “No,” she finally said. “Even after the attempts, I felt that I would be safe on my own planet.”

They finished the walk to the door in an awkward, guilty silence. Padme entered a code and the door slid open for them.

“Aunt Padme!”

Two young girls ran to meet them, but were gentle once they got close to Obi-Wan and the very pregnant Padme.

“You’re back!”

“Is that our cousin in your belly?”

“Is that Uncle Anakin?”

“Can he show us his laser sword?”

Padme laughed, dropping her bag, before she hugged a girl to each of her sides. “Yes, I’m back. Yes, that’s your baby cousin. No, that’s not Uncle Anakin, but he still won’t be showing you his laser sword,” she said. She glanced back at Obi-Wan with a sad smile. “That’s your Uncle Obi-Wan. He’s just as much family.”

Obi-Wan bit his cheek and resisted the urge to touch his stomach.

“Are you married to Uncle Obi-Wan, too?” the older girl asked.

“No,” Padme answered. “But Anakin and Obi-Wan are very close.”

“Ryoo, Pooja. Let your aunt breathe.”

A slender woman entered the hall from the same direction that the girls had come from. She looked much like her sister, except for her more angular features.

“Sola, why are you here and not with our parents?” Padme asked as the girls ran back down the hall and past their mother.

“Mother said that you had requested a discreet doctor,” Sola said. “Who better than your older sister?”

“Even with us hiding from the government? What about your girls?” Padme asked.

Sola smiled. “Padme, my husband designed and built this house with trouble in mind. It’s the safest place that we can be.” She looked past her sister at Obi-Wan. “And with your Jedi friend, he should be able to make it even safer.”

“Oh, Sola.”

“Come on. It’s a long trip from Coruscant and you both could use some rest,” she said and her mouth quirked up. “Doctor’s orders!”

They followed her further into the house where it opened into a large room. The girls stood before a man, talking over each other. He looked amused, even if none of them could understand what they were saying. He glanced up, smiling when he saw them.

“Padme,” he said standing. The girls whined below him and jumped up onto the couch, watching the adults. He crossed the room and hugged his sister-in-law. “It’s been so long. It’s good to see you, even if the circumstances aren’t the best.”

“You as well, Darred,” she replied. “We’ll have to discuss the preparations that you’ve both made later.”

“After the girls go to sleep?” he suggested.

She nodded. “Sounds good.”

“You can catch up later. Mothers need their rest,” Sola said, ushering her sister down the hall. She gave Obi-Wan an odd look. “You, too. Are you feeling well?”

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened. “Yes. Just… tired.”

Sola stared at him, unconvinced, but eventually shrugged. “I can care for you as well as Padme. You only need ask. For now, rest. Your room is beside Padme’s.”

“Thank you,” he said, looking away. He wasn’t ready to tell anyone about the child yet. A little more time and he would.

He followed Padme down the hallway past her sister and to two doorways.

“She wasn’t always so bossy,” Padme said, hand on the doorknob. “I think that she’s enjoying this too much.”

Snorting, Obi-Wan turned the doorknob for his room. “I can see the family resemblance. Anakin did tell me about some of your adventures.”

Padme laughed behind him.

Obi-Wan closed the door to the room behind him and set his bag down. His eyes burned and his muscles were stiff. He lay down on the bed, still fully clothed.

He jerked awake to a slamming sound, his hand reaching for the absent lightsaber that would be at his waist normally. He stumbled across the room and wrenched the door open.

Darred stood at Padme’s door, eyes wide and hand still raised in the open doorway. “You have to come and see this now.”

“What’s going on?” Padme asked, a hand supporting her belly.

Darred stopped and Obi-Wan swallowed at the expression that crossed the other man’s features. He’d seen it on many civilians’ faces during the war.

Padme had no doubt seen it, too, as she grabbed Darred’s elbow and started him moving. He led them to the main sitting room, where Sola stood before the holoviewer, hands covering her mouth.

“It’s only been in the last few moments that it’s been revealed that the Jedi were orchestrating the Clone Wars.”

Padme staggered to a chair, but Obi-Wan stood frozen.

Anakin was in the central focus of the viewer. He’d just stepped out of his ship and was being surrounded by government officials.

“The Chancellor is making a statement regarding the activities of the traitorous Jedi.”

The viewer switched to a scene of Palpatine in the Senate chambers. His facial expression was vaguely sorrowful. Anakin stood at his side.

He’d never been successful at controlling his emotions. Anakin could not hide them now. Not when he still looked so stricken.

“Months ago I began an inquiry into war matters. I had feared that we had internal agents within our midst. My fears were realized a short time ago.”

Palpatine stopped and gripped the rail before him. “I received a report that the Jedi had been working to create chaos to further themselves in our government.

“When I went to confront them personally, I discovered that they’d flown in the middle of the night. It leaves me with no doubt that these allegations are correct.

“With a heavy heart, I must order the detention of any known Jedi for treason. Should any citizen have a sighting of one, they should alert the nearest government officials.”

Palpatine looked back at Anakin and brought him forward, a hand on his shoulder. “Yet in this hour of despair, there is a light of hope. Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker alone has  stayed true to his vow to the galaxy. He will advise and aid me in the war while we open negotiations to any who would wish to rejoin the republic.”

The viewer froze as the Chancellor and Anakin turned away.

“It’s not true,” Obi-Wan said, ignoring the newscaster reviewing what had just transpired.

“They’ve shown it on every holo across the galaxy,” Sola said gently. “He’s made the Jedi the enemy of the people.”

“It’s only the beginning,” Padme whispered. They all stared at her. “More will be coming.”

All four looked back at the holoviewer that showed a Coruscant that had already become unfamiliar. Obi-Wan knew that she was right.

 

“They didn’t make me a Master.”

Palpatine looked back at him as they walked through the hall. “Anakin, it was only their own jealousy and deceit that made them withhold your title. You deserve it.”

Anakin followed, oddly quiet, until they were in the Chancellor’s office. “Are you sure that this is the right thing to do?”

“It’s the truth, Anakin,” Palpatine said, sitting down at his desk. He glanced out the window. “As hard as it is to accept, the Jedi manipulated both sides of the war.”

Anakin looked down. “And Obi-Wan and Padme? Have you heard anything about them?”

“I’m afraid that they were heavily involved in the plot and possibly each other, I’m afraid,” he said.

“I thought… I thought that she loved me. And Obi-Wan, he-” he choked off, his flesh hand covering his mouth.

Palpatine crossed the room and squeezed his shoulder for comfort. “They were manipulating you, using you. But I haven’t and I never will. We are friends after all. Are we not?”

Anakin huffed a laugh. “Of course, Chancellor. Thank you again. For the rooms and… Not betraying me.”

“I only wish that I could do more for you, my boy,” the older man replied. “How are you feeling after your battle with General Grievous? Are your wounds healed?”

Anakin looked down at his mech hand. He’d suffered burns, bruises, and a deep score down his side, but his hand had taken the most damage. He’d been continuously tinkering with it to fix it. “Much better, I think. Your doctors are gifted.”

“Only the best for our hero.”

Anakin looked away. “I think that I should go rest. So much has happened… Artoo has been reluctant to leave my side and I had to keep him in the rooms today.”

“Of course,” Palpatine agreed. He watched the younger man leave the room before returning to the chair behind his desk.

He stared out the window at the many levels of Coruscant in the dying light, his gaze cold. The Jedi temple stood far off in the distance.

Their disappearance had set his plans back, but no matter. He would have Anakin Skywalker as his apprentice. He just had to go slow. Be more subtle.

By the time that he revealed himself as a Sith, Anakin would be in the palm of his hand and do his every bidding.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little late, but there was a big snow storm for my area and we got a foot of snow! And my internet is pretty iffy when there's weather.
> 
> Also, I completely forgot about C-3PO when I was typing this out (possibly because I didn't want to think of him till I needed him). So, he stayed with Padme as he usually seems to and went into hiding with them and everyone ignores him. Possibly because Obi-Wan turned down his volume so that he could get some peace. Yup. He talks too much.
> 
> Happy reading!!

I Found

Chapter Five

 

Obi-Wan was impressed with the fortifications that Darred had incorporated into the house. For a man from a planet that had mostly seen peace in the last decade, he certainly knew how to create a protected home. 

Completely hidden by the trees, the house could only be seen on the ground level. Force field generators were built at a few hundred meters out and could be activated from within the house. Blasters were stashed throughout the house beyond the children’s reach. And, if it came to it, there was a passageway beneath the house that led directly to the Gungan city nearly beneath them.

He made small suggestions and they both made sure that they would be ready if there were any unwelcome guests.

Inside, Sola and Darred showed both Padme and Obi-Wan how to baby-proof the house. Together, they began getting a room fixed for Padme’s baby.

Obi-Wan was putting together a crib during one of her appointments with Sola when Padme burst into the room. He reached for the lightsaber that still never strayed far from him before he saw her wide smile and relaxed.

“Obi-Wan,” she cried, pulling him up to his feet. “The baby-”

“It’s okay?”

“Yes! The baby is babies! Two!”

Obi-Wan stared at her for a moment before breaking into his own grin. “Twins?”

“A boy and a girl! And they’re healthy and active,” Padme said.

“May I?” Obi-Wan asked, lifting a hand.

Padme nodded and placed his hand on her stomach herself. He closed his eyes and felt for them.

They felt so much like Anakin in the Force. Yet so different. Strong and steady, both unique to themselves.

His spark reached out, too, and he could hear three voices of joy. His eyes flew open, but he could feel all three still. Padme stared up at him, eyes wide and slightly afraid.

“They’re… very Force sensitive,” he said, clearing his throat.

“They’re okay?”

Obi-Wan nodded. “They’re perfect. And happy.”

Padme grinned up at him and squeezed his hands, still on her belly. “Obi-Wan, if… if Anakin doesn’t join us, will you be their father?”

“What?” he asked, voice cracking. “I-I can’t.”

The edges of her smile turned down. “Obi-Wan, you’re family. The twins… they need you. I need you.”

He drew away, feeling cold. “Padme, I can’t. There are things that you don’t know. Things that I’ve done.”

“Then tell me and we’ll-”

“No,” he said firmly. “You would hate me. When I’m sure that you and the… children are safe, I’ll leave. I’ll try to bring Anakin back to you.”

“Obi-Wan.”

“You need your rest, Padme.”

If he could have looked at her, Obi-Wan would have seen the tears in her eyes.

“You can’t keep pushing us away. You are family,” she said, before leaving the room.

Obi-Wan slowly knelt next to the unfinished crib. He brought his hand to his own abdomen. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “You’ll be happier with her. She’ll be a great mother. I couldn’t be a good parent. I’m a Jedi and a poor one at that. And I keep hurting everyone that I love.”

  
“Obi-Wan!”

The cup in his hand fell to the floor, tea splashing across the floor. He ran into the sitting room where he’d seen Padme  She was pale and staring at the holoviewer. Her hands gripped the couch beneath her.

The viewer showed the Chancellor, Anakin, and a few other officials.

“We truly believe that this will ease the unrest that the galaxy faces and will hasten the capture of the Jedi traitors. When the galaxy is able to function as a whole once more the Senate will be brought back to power,” Palpatine said. Others began to speak, the viewer moving to show them.

“What happened?”

“The Senate, he…“

“Padme?”

She looked up at him. “He created an empire. He said that there were traitors within the Senate. That I was a traitor. He killed our democracy.”

Obi-Wan sat down beside her. “He controls the whole galaxy now?”

Padme’s eyes filled with tears. “They  _ applauded _ him, cheered for him. How did we become so lost?”

He had no answer for her.

“Anakin,” she cried. “How can he think that this is right?”

“I wish that I could give you an answer,” he said softly. “But I don’t know either.”

“We can’t save him, can we?”

Obi-Wan’s chest ached. “I-I don’t know. I have to… hope.”

She leaned into him, shoulders sagging. He could feel her tears soaking into his shirt. He wrapped an arm tentatively around his shoulders.

“The last time we spoke, Anakin was desperate to keep you safe. If anyone can get him back in his right mind it will be you,” he whispered.

“And you,” she said, sitting up. “You matter to him, more than anyone else. You’ll bring him home to us.”

Bile rose in his throat. He coughed to clear it and changed the subject. “Where are the others?”

“They went to get supplies. They’ll be back within the hour,” she said.

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end moments before Padme cried out and sagged against him again.

“Padme?”

She looked up at him, eyes wide with fear. “Obi-Wan, the babies.”

His head jerked up. “C-3PO! Send a message to Sola and tell her that we need her now.”

He ignored the droid, focusing on the gasping woman beside him. “We need to get you to your bed.”

“There’s supposed to be more time,” she cried. “What if-what if Anakin was right?”

“About what, Padme?”

She looked into his eyes. “He had visions that I die in labor.”

A chill went down his spine at the reminder. “Anakin wasn’t gifted with foresight. You are safe and healthy. It will go well.”

Padme gripped his arm. “If I do… Please raise them. Keep them safe. Love them.”

“I already do,” he whispered. “But they’re going to need you. You have too much to live for to die right now.”

Her laugh was high. “I’m scared, Obi-Wan. He’s not here. He’s supposed to be here.”

Obi-Wan supported her as she stood. “I’m here. Your sister is coming.”

He led her to her room and helped ease her back onto her pillows. He turned to check to see if Sola had replied at all when Padme caught his wrist.

“Please don’t leave me.”

He looked down at her. At her terrified, tear filled eyes and her trembling mouth. He sat down beside her, holding her hand in his.

“Have you thought of names?” he asked.

She nodded, biting her lower lip as her hand tightened. “Luke for the boy, Leia for the girl,” she answered after a moment, her hand relaxing.

“Beautiful,” he said.

She smiled at him. “They are.”

“I hear that they’re ready to meet us?” Sola announced as she came into the room.

Obi-Wan relaxed partially, relieved to have a medical professional there to care for Padme.

“It’s not too early?” Padme asked, hopefully.

Sola shook her head. “A little early, yes, but I didn’t think that you would be able to carry to full term when we found that they were twins.”

Padme squeezed his hand tighter as Sola examined her. He felt for the children in the Force and heard a jumble of thoughts and feelings. Excitement being the strongest of those. They were definitely Anakin’s children.

“It’s coming on quickly now,” Sola said, sitting up. “Everything looks okay for now.”

“And the twins?” she asked, looking up at Obi-Wan.

“They’re ready to join us,” he answered.

She smiled up at him, even though her muscles were tense.

“Did something happen?” Sola asked, moving across the room to prepare the medical supplies they’d placed in the room in the previous days.

Obi-Wan and Padme exchanged a look before Padme winced and looked away.

“The Republic has become an empire,” Obi-Wan answered.

Sola’s hands stilled. “Can he do that?”

“With all of the powers that were voted to him during the war, yes, he can,” Padme answered.

“How have we come to this?”

“When people who know better sit back and do nothing,” he said quietly, looking down into his lap.

Padme squeezed his hand. “I have to believe that there are senators fighting this. Bail Organa knows what’s going on at least.”

Obi-Wan nodded, but couldn’t say that he had any hope left for the galaxy.

“Can I see you outside, Obi-Wan?” Sola asked.

He looked down at Padme, who nodded. He let go and followed Sola out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind him, she turned on him.

“I know that the two of you aren’t telling me everything,” she said, expression remarkably similar to her sister’s when she was fighting in the Senate. “But that doesn’t really matter. What matters is that I need you to distract her.”

He stared at her, eyes wide. “Excuse me?”

“She’s under a lot of stress and it’s not good for her or the twins. She needs you right now,” she said.

Obi-Wan looked at the door and nodded. “Please… Do your best.”

“Oh, she told me about that vision that fool of a husband of hers had,” she said, eyes wide and voice of durasteel. “I have no intention of letting her die.”

They returned to Padme’s bedroom and saw her visibly relax.

“It’s going to take a little while for labor to fully start, so I’m going to need you to stay calm, okay?” Sola said gently.

Padme nodded, but seemed to tremble with nerves.

“Padme,” he said, taking her hand once more. “Is there anything that I can do for you?”

She opened her mouth, but bit her lip. Finally, she spoke. “Could you tell me stories? About Anakin?”

“I have plenty of those,” he said. He pushed away his hurt and turmoil of the previous months and launched into tales of training Anakin.

He told her of their first saber lesson, where Anakin nearly set Obi-Wan’s robes on fire. Of the many nights he caught him working on a droid when he was supposed to be working on his diplomatic studies. Of the first time that they stumbled into a nest of trouble and Anakin saved them before Obi-Wan could do anything. He told her how nervous Anakin had been before seeing her again. He told her of the many times he’d seen him looking at a holo of her during the war.

And with every word and every laugh that came from both women, Obi-Wan felt his spirit lighten.

Before they could realize that time had passed, Sola knelt before Padme and was telling her that it was time.

Padme gripped his hand tighter. “I’m afraid,” she whispered.

“I’m here,” he told her, just as softly.

“Thank you,” she cried.

Their fear seemed to fill the room, making the very air heavy. Until there was a wail that shattered it all.

“Here’s the handsome boy,” Sola said, lifting the child. “Obi-Wan, take him.”

Padme released his hand and pushed him forward. Sola cut his cord quickly and handed him to Obi-Wan.

“Clean him off and make sure that his nose and mouth are clear,” she ordered. “His sister’s being impatient.”

She turned back to Padme. He stared down at the crying child and felt his Spark reach out. The child, Luke, opened his eyes and laughed. A small hand fell against his abdomen and he felt his Spark flutter.

Obi-Wan crossed the room and gently did as Sola ordered. He was wrapping him in a soft blanket when he heard another scream.

“Such an upset beauty,” Sola said, laughing. She brought her to Obi-Wan and went back to padme.

Leia’s cries softened once she was near her brother. He gave her the same treatment and checked one last time to make sure that they were wrapped well before carrying them back to their mother.

She smiled wearily up at him. “They’re okay?”

“They’re perfect,” he replied.

“And you’ve done wonderfully yourself,” Sola commented. “I told you that husband of yours can’t see the future.”

Padme laughed and took Luke into her arms. He’d already fallen asleep, but he turned his head towards her. Obi-Wan held Leia so that she could see her daughter as the child fell asleep, too.

“I wish that Anakin were here with us,” she whispered, a tear falling down her cheek.

“He’ll be overjoyed when he meets them,” he said firmly.

“I’m going to let you rest,” Sola said before the leaving the room.

“I couldn’t have gotten this far without you, Obi-Wan,” Padme said.

Ice water filled his veins. “Yes, you would have,” he said, suddenly hoarse. “You’re the strongest person that I know.”

“Obi-Wan-”

“You need your rest. I’ll watch over you,” he said, setting Leia in a crib by the bed. He hesitated to take Luke from her arms.

“When will you allow people to love you, Obi-Wan?” she whispered, as she lifted Luke to him.

Obi-Wan bit his lip, unable to look at her as he lowered the child beside his sister.

“That love… would not be fair.”

“Love isn’t always fair. It demands to be felt, damn the consequences,” she said, head resting against her own shoulder.

“Your neck will be sore like that,” he said, gently brushing her hair out of her face. She lifted her head, her cheek resting in his palm.

 

The apartment was empty without Padme.

It had taken several days for him to bring himself to the place where they’d been so happy. Where he’d spent his last hours with her, planning what they would do when the baby came. A baby that was probably Obi-Wan’s.

He couldn’t even make himself feel any of his old anger and jealousy at the thought of them together. Just… despair. Feeling their presence fade from the apartment made it somehow worse.

What Anakin couldn’t admit to himself was that he’d been to the apartment, but not the temple. As broken as his trust had been with them before the mission to defeat General Grievous, they’d still lied to him and left him completely alone. Even Obi-Wan.

He slowly sat up in bed, heart despairing at how Padme’s scent was already dissipating. Artoo whistled sadly from across the room. “I know, buddy,” he whispered before slowly getting ready.

Anakin hadn’t been surprised when Emperor Palpatine had told him of the Empire’s next venture on Coruscant: a lavish capitol on the site of the temple.

He glanced at the mirror, straightening his hair. He’d been invited to take any of his belongings before construction began. He had to see it once before everything that he had once known disappeared for good.

It was still quiet in the early morning. The civilians had been oddly tense after the announcement of the creation of the Empire had been made. Many didn’t venture out as much as they had before.

The temple stood darker than he’d ever seen it before. Without the presence of all of those who had resided there it seemed like a broken shell. Inside, it was almost worse. Fear and anger, emotions that the Jedi shunned, prevailed.

Anakin’s footsteps echoed as he passed through the hallway. Everywhere he looked, the temple seemed bare.

He soon found himself at the door to his rooms. The sound of the door sliding open loud in the empty hall. He entered and the door slid shut behind him.

Long before, after Padme and he had married, he’d moved most of his possessions to their apartment. All that was really left were some lightsaber pieces and clothes.

But he’d returned to the temple to visit one more place. He wasn’t sure that it could give him any understanding, but he had to try if there was any possibility.

He followed the familiar route down the halls to the rooms that he had once shared with Obi-Wan. His heart jumped to his throat as he opened the door.

It nearly looked the same as it always had. To anyone who wasn’t as intimately familiar with the rooms as he was, it would appear to be like any other Jedi’s. But Obi-Wan was no normal Jedi.

His pack was gone, yet his robes and armor were thrown across his bed. Anakin fingered a gauntlet. Obi-Wan wouldn’t leave these if he was headed into danger. Cody had made them specially for his general and Obi-Wan wore them whenever they had been in the field.

Anakin looked away and his eyes fell on the nightstand and the pearl that sat there. Hesitantly, he picked it up with two fingers.

It was the last thing that Obi-Wan had touched before leaving. This last piece of the connection between them.

“Did I really mean so little to you both?” he whispered. “Was I just your pawn?”

He threw the pearl across the room and buried his head in his hands. “I thought that you both loved me.”

The silence was near deafening. Anakin had never before felt so alone. Slowly, he stood. “You betrayed the galaxy and me.” He lifted a hand and the pearl rose in the air. “I won’t forget it.” He caught it in his mech hand and left the room.

He was done with the Jedi.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit short, but a lot of information... 
> 
> Happy reading!!

I Found

Chapter Six

 

He knew that Padme suspected that he was avoiding her. But she was so busy with the newborn twins that she didn’t have the time or energy to confront him.

When she fell into an exhausted sleep, Obi-Wan would creep into their room and keep watch over them. In those quiet moments he got to know Luke and Leia. They were so marvelously strong in the Force. They still communicated with his Spark and he valued each flutter and feeling in the Force. By the time that Padme stirred awake, he would be resting alone in his room.

The others had noticed his sudden disappearance, but hadn’t spoke with him about it. When they found themselves in the same room, he would sometimes catch Sola looking at him sadly.

One morning he woke feeling dizzy. He sat up and his head spun. Obi-Wan struggled to stay upright as fear clogged his throat.

Sola could help. She’d know what was wrong. Even if he did finally have to reveal his secret. He wouldn’t be able to hide it much longer anyways

Stiffly, he uncovered his legs and tried to stand. His knees buckled and he caught the side of the bed before he blacked out.

* * *

 

Obi-Wan’s eyes fluttered open. He was warm and the world had stilled around him again.

“Back with us?”

He turned his head toward the voice to see Sola in a chair beside his bed. The corners of her mouth were turned down in displeasure. “Want to explain why you didn’t tell me that you were five months pregnant before?”

“My baby, my Spark? Is it okay?”

Her face softened slightly. “She’s okay. And you can stop calling her it.”

He looked down at his blanket covered stomach. “I’m having a girl?”

“Yes,” Sola said, a small smile crossing her face. “A tough little one if she’s anything like you.”

“What happened?”

She frowned again. “You’re malnourished and exhausted. Your iron, blood pressure, and sugar levels are all lower than I’d prefer. We could have prevented this if you’d come to me.”

“Go easy on him, Sola. We talked about this.”

Obi-Wan turned his head the other way and found Padme in the bed beside him.

“If it hadn’t been for the twins, I’m not sure when we would have found him. I may have not been able to help. He’s carrying a child. He needs to be better than this,” she said before storming out.

“I’m sorry,” Padme said. “You scared us and she felt responsible.”

The silence between them was tense.

“The twins?” he asked.

Padme nodded behind him and he turned to see a crib. When he listened, he could hear their soft, sleeping breaths.

“They woke us up by screaming. When we were all there but you, Darred checked and found you. After they helped you back into bed and figured out what was wrong, the twins wouldn’t be soothed till they were near you,” she answered.

Obi-Wan closed weary eyes. “They  _ are  _ Force sensitive.”

“I think that they’re pretty attached to you,” she said. “As am I.”

He turned away. “You shouldn’t be.”

“Why?”

He pressed his lips together, unable to answer.

“Is it because the baby is Anakin’s?”

He looked back at her, eyes wide. “How?”

“I wasn’t sure,” she admitted. “But the timing lines up. Five months. You were in the Outer Rim then. The only ones that you were close enough with were Anakin and some of the clones. And Anakin told me about what happened between you, too.”

“You mean?”

She nodded. “He wasn’t being unfaithful. We’d talked about it before. It didn’t feel right to approach you when we were in the middle of a war. But when it was over, we were going to talk and… invite you into our relationship.”

He stared at her.

“What?”

“You were going to ask me to be with you both? Intimately?”

“Yes?”

“And Anakin got carried away after I fell?”

“Yes. He was terrified. And, after, he didn’t know what to do. I’d told him that we would discuss it with you when you both returned to Coruscant and to give you space. And then everything happened.”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. “I messed it all up.”

“No, you didn’t,” she replied. “You care about us. Anakin was already in love with you. And I think that I’m falling for you.”

“Even with… ”

“Your Spark?” she asked, smiling. “I think that she’ll be a joy to have around.”

Obi-Wan looked across the bed at her and felt the flutter.

Padme’s eyes lit up. “You just felt her, didn’t you?”

He nodded. “Do you want to feel her?”

“Yes,” she said and softly touched his rounding stomach. They felt the baby move and Padme’s eyes grew wide. “Obi-Wan, she’s…”

“You can feel her in the Force, can’t you?” he asked.

“How? I’m not sensitive.”

“Your children are and you shared blood for nearly nine months. Your own midichlorian count is higher than it was,” he explained. “It will eventually go away.”

“It’s amazing,” she whispered.

“It is,” he said as his Spark kicked.

They sat in the quiet, enjoying each other’s company. It was Obi-Wan who broke the silence finally.

“Can you care for her after she’s been born?”

She turned back to him eyes wide and mouth open. “What?”

“Can you keep her until I return with Anakin?” he asked.

“Obi-Wan, you can’t possibly think that you’re going to go chasing after Anakin when the entire galaxy is looking for you,” she argued. “Not right after giving birth.”

“He needs us,” he replied. “He’s at the mercy of the strongest Sith Lord in generations. I can’t leave him there. Not when it’s my fault.”

“You still blame yourself?”she asked. “Obi-Wan, he fooled us all.”

“But Qui-Gon entrusted Anakin to me,” he cried. “And I failed. I let him be led astray.”

“Oh, Obi-Wan,” she said, touching his cheek. “It’s not your fault.”

Tears slid down his face. “I pushed him away.”

“You were afraid,” she whispered.

He closed his eyes and let her hold him. The door opened, letting light in from the hall.

“It’s time for Obi-Wan to rest,” Sola said. “Your body needs time to recover.”

Padme sat up, wiping her own tears away. “I’ll be back after you fall asleep. The twins and I will make sure that you’re okay while you rest.”

Obi-Wan nodded and settled back into his pillows. He let a hand rest on his stomach.

Padme stood and made sure that he was covered before following her sister out of the room.

“Are you two okay?” Sola asked.

“We will be,” she answered.

“I’ll check on him in a little while. If you notice anything that makes you worry, let me know,” she said before walking away.

Padme took a comm out of her pocket and turned away from Obi-Wan’s room. She connected it to the only other comm it had listed.

“Hey, it’s time to come home. I’m sending you the coordinates. We need you.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why must holidays be so stressful?   
> We've reached the last of my finished chapters. I'm on vacation and going to try to finish the rest of the story-there's only about three more chapters after this, but if I'm not back next week, then that's what's going on. Now that this is typed and posted, I can focus on finishing!  
> Happy reading!

I Found

Chapter Seven

Obi-Wan woke to humming. He turned his head and saw Ahsoka in the chair beside him.

“Good morning, Master Obi-Wan.”

He smiled up at her. “You don’t have to call me that, Ahsoka. It’s good to see you.”

“You, too,” she said, catching his hand in hers.

He squeezed her hand. “You’ve been safe?”

She shrugged. “I was doing pretty well after, just travelling. Padme had helped me out and set me up for anything that I needed. Then…”

“The Jedi disappeared?”

“Yeah,” she said, squeezing his hand back. “I didn’t want to draw any attention to myself if they decided that a former padawan is close enough to being a Jedi to be arrested. I hid among my people and Padme’s been keeping me informed.”

“I should have contacted you,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know how I would have taken it. After… I was really angry. And as much as I care about you, and I know that you and Anakin fought for me, you both were still part of the Order.”

“I’m sorry.”

She laid her head on their hands. “I think that I’m starting to forgive. I’m happy that you were all able to get away safely. I don’t want any of you to die.”

“Everyone’s safe but Anakin.”

Ahsoka frowned. “So Palpatine is the Sith Lord. And Anakin believes that he’s doing what’s best for the galaxy.”

Obi-Wan nodded.

“How’d we get this far into this mess?”

He looked up at the ceiling. “We were foolish and he used it.”

She rubbed her forehead against his hand. “There’s people fighting all over the galaxy. The Separatists have all but disappeared, but there were people who were loyal who were enraged after the Jedi were framed. Jedi are still out there, too, giving the Empire trouble. The Empire won’t win.”

He looked down at her. “I’m going to get Anakin back for us.”

She rubbed her tears away and smiled up at him. “So, you and Anakin, huh?”

Obi-Wan’s cheeks burned. “N-not re-”

“About time,” she interrupted. “I wonder who won the bet.”

“You bet on us?” he squeaked.

She grinned. “The clones and I. We kept it between us and made sure others didn’t notice.”

“Thank you,” he whispered.

She sat back, grinning. “We were hoping that you’d find some happiness in this war.”

Obi-Wan looked away.

“A baby?” she said, changing the subject.

He looked down at his belly, covered by the blanket. He was getting quite round now that his activity had been limited. His Spark kicked harder than normal. He rubbed a hand over her.  _ I won’t think that I’m fat anymore,  _ he chided in his mind.

“Yes,” he replied. “A little girl.”

“Is it okay if I stick around to meet her?”

He stared up at her. “Of course!”

“Are you going to stick around, too?” Ahsoka asked.

Obi-Wan looked away, grimacing.

“Why?”

“Padme will be a much better parent than I could be. And someone has to try to save Anakin,” he answered.

“Why do you think that you’d be a bad parent?”

“I don’t exactly have any examples. I’ve fought in a war and did things that I regret. Also, Anakin…,” he swallowed hard. “I was supposed to guide him and I failed miserably.”

“You helped guide me,” she said. “I may have left the Order, but what you, Anakin, and the others taught me helped me to survive. We’ve all done things that we regret, but we have to keep going. As for Anakin, didn’t  _ he _ let us down?”

“What?” he asked sharply. His eyes widened when he heard his own tone, but she shook her head.

“Anakin was determined that the Order had it out for him. He trusted that sleemo leading the galaxy before any of us,” she explained. She looked up to the ceiling, eyes glassy. “He would have stayed.”

Obi-Wan yawned and turned his head to a more comfortable position. “You really think that he wouldn’t have believed me? That I didn’t abandon him for nothing?”

“Oh, Obi-Wan,” she whispered. “Never. You did what you had to do.”

His chest rose and fell slowly, peaceful sleep enveloping him.

“We’ll save him together, Master,” Ahsoka whispered.

 

* * *

When Obi-Wan next woke it was dark and there was a warm body in bed with him.

“Is this okay?” Padme asked.

He nodded into the darkness. “Is it night?”

He felt her nod beside him. “Yes,” she added. “Everyone else is asleep. Are you sure that this is okay?”

Obi-Wan thought for a moment. It was time for the lies to stop and he knew that she’d understand his hesitation. “Yes,” he finally decided.

He felt her relax beside him. Her hand reached out for his arm and slid down to hold his hand. He turned towards her.

“How are you feeling?” she whispered.

He exhaled. “I’m not dizzy anymore. I don’t feel like I’ve been asleep that long, though.”

She nodded. “Sola said that could happen. Your body is recovering.”

“How are you and the twins?” he asked.

“They don’t like leaving your room. Ahsoka’s been helping me take care of what they need before they get too fussy and wake you up,” she answered.

“I wouldn’t mind,” he admitted.

“Be careful saying that,” she said lightly. “I’ll take advantage of it when you’re doing better.”

Obi-Wan yawned. He felt a wriggle in the Force beside him. “I think Luke’s hungry.”

Padme sighed. “Finally. His sister ate an hour ago and I knew that he’d be crying soon.”

She crawled out of the bed and crossed the room to the cribs. He watched as she lifted the infant into her arms and turned away to leave the room.

“You don’t have to leave,” he said, stopping her.

“Are you sure?” she asked. “It might seem weird.”

“If you’re comfortable, it’s okay.”

Padme nodded and sat down on the corner of the bed, facing away. “He’ll probably not fuss as much. Thank you.”

“Can I ask a question?”

“Of course.”

“What does breastfeeding feel like?”

She hummed a moment. “It was odd at first. Leia had trouble latching on, so it was painful till we figured it out. We’ve gotten used to it now. It’s just a gentle tugging. And it helps me feel close to them.”

He nodded and closed his eyes. “I’m scared,” he admitted. “I never considered having children. I even avoided most of the younglings at the temple.”

“We’ll learn together,” she promised. “I’m not going to abandon you.”

He bit his cheek as he felt her stand. Several moments later she returned to his side and took his hands.

“Anakin is going to come back. And he’ll be right here with us. Till then we’ll support each other and keep each other going,” she said, voice firm. “You’re afraid that you don’t know much about babies and children? Sola’s been teaching me. I’m sure that she wouldn’t mind helping you. We’re a family. You’re not alone.”

* * *

It was raining on the surface of the planet. Anakin’s feet sank into the mud as he walked. His hands were chilled, but his anger kept the rest of him warm.

They had just destroyed the last of the Separatist presence on the planet. The Empire now had full control over that system.

But they weren’t the ones that Anakin was incensed against. Of all of the planets and moons in the galaxy, there were only a handful that he hadn’t wanted to return to. This water world with only islands for dry land and a forgettable name was at the top of that list.

He stood on the edge of a cliff. The same cliff that Obi-Wan had fallen off of and Anakin had leapt from to save him so many months before. The clones were a distance behind him, still inspecting the droid remains.

The water churned below him, dark with pale foam at the crest of each wave. Before he could really think about it, he threw himself off of the cliff.

He hit the water and rushed underneath, the cold stealing his breath. He broke the surface, gasping, before he dove down once more.

It was quiet under the waves, peaceful even. The deeper he swam, the darker the water grew around him. He could sense lifeforms around him, but they remained hidden, watching him.

Anakin reached the bottom quickly. Coarse sand met his fingers, clouding the water further. Finally, as his lungs began to ache, his fingers found something hard. He grasped at it, pulling it free before he rushed up to the surface.

He caught his breath shortly and swam to shore. Shivering, he looked down at his hands. Two oysters lay among the sand in his palms. He ignored shouts in the distance as he focused on one and used the Force to pry it open. Along with the flesh inside lay a perfect dark gray pearl. He plucked it out and held it up in the light. It shone softly. He pocketed it in a pouch on his belt and held up the second oyster. Like the first, he concentrated on it with the Force, but faltered.

The organism inside was still alive.

Anakin knelt in the sand and felt the first oyster again. The lifeform that had lived in the shell was already fading. He gripped it tight. Everything he’d been taught since joining the Jedi and he didn’t even think about it before. Had they when they caused the war? All the men and civilians that had looked up to him during the war. Had they died for nothing?

“Each pearl from this planet finds its way to the one who needs it.”

He turned and saw an old man standing behind him leaning on a stick. “Who are you?” he called, hand falling to his lightsaber’s hilt.

“Just an old pearl farmer,” the man said, shuffling forward. “You look troubled.”

Anakin looked back down at his hands and what he held. “I… don’t know who I am anymore.”

“What do you know?” he asked, sitting beside him.

“That I’m alone,” he answered. “And the only ones out there that I cared about gladly left me.”

He waited for a response but the man didn’t say anything for long moments. “Well, is that all?”

“Yes?”

“Then you know nothing,” he said, pushing grey flecked brown hair out of his face.

“Excuse me?”

“You know nothing,” the man repeated. “You only think that you know those things. Why did they leave you?”

“They were traitors and were caught,” Anakin said, voice raising.

“And what is your proof?”

“Chancellor Palpatine says-”

“Have you seen any evidence?”

Anakin stopped. “No,” he admitted.

“Then how do you know?” he asked, leaning back.

“I don’t,” he replied. “But how can I trust them again?”

“When you find them, ask. They wouldn’t leave you for nothing. And, perhaps, they’re hoping that you follow them,” he suggested.

Anakin nodded and the man stood. He looked back down at the living oyster. He cleared his mind and tugged on the pearl. It slid out into his palm. A bit smaller than the other, this pearl was white and gleamed.

Placing the oyster back into the water, he looked around, but the farmer was gone.

“General!”

His squad jogged down to him and Anakin hid the pearl with the other in his belt pouch.

“Are you okay, General Skywalker?” Rex asked.

Anakin nodded. “I thought I saw something in the water. I was wrong, though.”

“Good to know, sir,” he said. “No injuries?”

“I’m fine. Ready to get off this planet, though.”

“Transport is on its way, sir,” Rex replied.

“Thank you.”

It wasn’t long before Anakin was back in his room on the ship and in dry clothes. On the bunk before him lay the three pearls and a durasteel chain.

Carefully, he threaded each pearl through and held it up afterwards. Three pearls, side by side.

He’d find them and the truth with them. What he would do then he didn’t know. But he wouldn’t give up.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year to everyone! No one is more surprised that I managed to finish this chapter so quickly than me! It still looks like there's going to be two/three chapters after this, depending on how long that last chapter ends up. I have about half of the next chapter written out, but I work most of the rest of the week, and I have no idea about next week. But! It still looks like it's likely that this story will be finished by the end of January! And then I get to start working on my project for the Obikin Big Bang!!!! (I might be a little too excited...)
> 
> Anyways, that's the update about how things are proceeding. Fingers crossed that I stay motivated and hammering it out. Happy reading!!

I Found

Chapter Eight

 

“Have you thought about a name yet?”

Obi-Wan looked up from his book. Padme sat on the bed, Luke and Leia between them. Ahsoka glanced at the two of them.

“A little…”

“Hmmm?” Padme asked as she leaned forward and brushed her hand through Luke’s blond tufts of hair.

“There’s one, but it doesn’t seem quite right,” he replied. “Satine.”

Padme stilled and looked up at him. “You really loved her, didn’t you?”

Obi-Wan shrugged. “She was passionate and caring. I don’t think that I couldn’t have.”

“It’s okay if you want to name her after Satine, you know.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “She was a strong woman and I had hoped to give my Spark someone to look up to. But it doesn’t seem right for her.”

“How about Ashla?”

They both turned their heads toward Ahsoka. She shrugged. “I used it after the Jedi disappeared. It’s an old name for the Force.”

Obi-Wan and Padme exchanged a look. “It’s perfect,” he whispered and looked down at his belly. He stroked the taut skin. “Hello, Ashla.”

The two babies on the bed giggled, waving their tiny hands above them.

* * *

“You called for me, Emperor?”

Anakin stood before Palpatine in his office. He could see the construction already underway to turn the Jedi temple into a palace.

“Anakin, I have news,” he said, turning to face him. He motioned for the other man to take a chair across his desk. “We’ve located your old master and wife.”

Anakin’s stomach fell. “Where?”

“Naboo, of all places. A ship landed in a forested area some several months ago,” he said. “We have surveillance footage showing them boarding and leaving Coruscant in that same ship.”

Anakin swallowed hard. “Has anyone been sent to apprehend them?”

Palpatine fiddled with the chain around his neck, looking down at it instead of at Anakin. “That’s why I called you here. It’s a… personal matter to you. Do you think that you would be able to arrest them? To fight them if they resist?”

Anakin paused to think and anger welled up inside of him. They’d betrayed him, left him. He would arrest them for the good of the Empire. And if they fought, he’d kill them. “Yes.”

“Good,” the Emperor said, nodding. “A ship is being prepared as we speak. It will take you and your best squad to Naboo.”

“Then I’ll leave so that I can prepare,” he said. At Palpatine’s nod he turned and left the room.

A hand raised to his throat. Hidden beneath his collar was the pearls.

* * *

Luke and Leia were screaming again. Inside of him, even Ashla was restless. It filled Obi-Wan with a sense of foreboding.

“I-I don’t know what’s wrong,” Padme cried, flinging her hands out. She looked at Obi-Wan, tears in her eyes. “They just won’t stop and my  _ head _ . Obi-Wan, my head’s never hurt like this before.”

“Padme-”

“Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka called as she slid into the room. “Can you feel it?”

“Feel what?” he whispered and then his eyes widened. “Padme, get the twins ready. Ahsoka, go tell the others.”

“Get them ready? Obi-Wan, what’s going on?”

“That migraine that you have? The reason that all three of the babies are upset? Anakin’s coming,” he said and stumbled out of his bed. Padme rushed to his side to brace him and he gripped her arm, looking down into her face. “He’s angry, Padme.”

Padme stared up at him. “Obi-Wan, what are you thinking?”

“He knows how I feel in the Force. Wherever I go, he will follow. I’m staying,” he answered.

“But Obi-Wan, if he hurts you-”

“I’m not going to be threatening,” he looked down at himself and his enlarged stomach. “Who could be intimidated by me now, anyways?”

“Obi-Wan-”

“They’re ready to go,” Ahsoka said, once again in the doorway. They’re just waiting on us.”

Padme looked between the two former Jedi, then the twins, and then back at Obi-Wan. Her jaw tightened. “Ahsoka, take Luke and Leia to Sola.”

“What?”

“Padme, what are you doing?” Sola asked from behind Ahsoka. “Darred’s got the girls ready. We need to go now. All of us.”

“Obi-Wan says that he’s staying,” she replied. “I’m staying with him.”

Sola frowned. “Are both of you out of your minds? Have you heard the news from around the galaxy? He’s the Emperor’s enforcer. He has no mercy. What about your children? The twins and Ashla? She’s not even born yet and you’re risking her life.”

“No, he won’t,” Padme argued. “Because he’s staying in this room.”

Obi-Wan and Sola both began to argue with her. Ahsoka watched, oddly quiet.

“No,” Padme said, raising her voice. “Sola, you and Ahsoka take the twins with you to the Gungans. Obi-Wan, you will stay in this room and be safe.”

“And what about you? What are you going to do?” Sola asked.

Padme bit her lip. “I’m going to meet him,” she said before crossing the room and pulling a blaster from the locked drawer in the dresser. “And if he’s a danger to us, I’ll make sure that he’s no longer a threat.”

“And his troopers?” Obi-Wan whispered. “They won’t let you close to him with a blaster.”

“There’s protections on this house for a reason,” she said. She looked back at Obi-Wan, a pained smile across her lips. “I trust the work you and Darred put in to it.”

“Will you keep yourself safe?” Sola asked, tears in her eyes. She stepped around Ahsoka and took her hand that was not holding the blaster. “I can’t lose my sister now.”

“I’ll be fine,” she replied. “Obi-Wan could tell you about all of the times when negotiations had gone sour around me.”

Sola wrapped her arm around her before letting go and crossing the room to the crib. She picked up Luke and carried him out of the room, not looking back.

“Please be careful,” Ahsoka said softly. She took Leia into her arms and followed. They could hear the twins cry harder as they moved further away.

“You were never planning on making it back to us after, were you?” Padme said, looking down at her blaster. “You were expecting to die for Anakin, weren’t you? That’s why you asked me to be Ashla’s mother.”

“Yes,” he admitted.

“You are too selfless, Obi-Wan,” she said, stepping closer to lay a hand on his cheek. “We need you. I’m not going to let you go to die.”

He cleared his throat. “Jedi teach against that sort of attachment.”

Padme rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to turn into a Sith on you. But I am going to keep you from being reckless. You have a place here and we would all be hurt if you died.”

Ashla rolled inside of him and he laughed wetly. “Okay,” he finally said. “We’ll find a way.”

She smiled up at him. “Good,” she said and rose on to her toes and kissed his lips. “Now, I’m going to go greet our husband.”

Obi-Wan’s tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth as she left the room. Perhaps it would be okay to have a husband and a wife.

* * *

Anakin knew the house was beneath the trees, even if he couldn’t see it. He could feel Obi-Wan now that they were so close again. They were there. He’d have his truth.

The shuttle landed and clones rushed out around him. He stepped out and looked up at the house. It didn’t seem like it would be a safe house for fugitives from the Empire. Of course, what did he expect from a family as affluent as Padme’s?”

Almost as if the thought of her had called her, Padme stepped outside, looking down at them. He could see her hands, but knew that she must have a blaster hidden on her somewhere.

“Stand down,” he yelled as he strode forward.

“But General-”

Anakin glared down at the clone. “I ordered you to stand down.”

The clone backed away, his helmet tilting down.

Anakin looked back at Padme and could see that her face had hardened. He knew that she was dangerous, had always been so, but she was still Padme.

When he stepped on the porch he studied her. She’d obviously had the baby and seemed to be doing well. She was as lovely as ever.

“Why are you here?”

“I want to know the truth.”

“Then why do you have soldiers?”

Anakin looked back at the clones that were keeping watch on the forest around them. “The Emperor sent me to to arrest you both.”

“Are you going to?”

“I don’t know.”

Padme stared up at him before she nodded. “He’s inside.”

She turned and led him through the door. He spotted the blaster hidden behind her back and had to stifle a laugh. He still knew a part of her. They went through a large room and he looked at the furnishings as they passed, looking for anything that reminded him of the Padme and Obi-Wan that he remembered or anything for a baby.

Padme stopped at a closed door. “Anakin, there’s something that you don’t know. Obi-Wan, he’s…”

His heart climbed up to his throat. Was… was Obi-Wan that sick? The same man who had fought till he would collapse in the war hadn’t been able to meet him. He was in a bedroom from the looks of it. Was Obi-Wan dying?

“Please,” Anakin said, voice choked.

Padme pushed the door open and Anakin stepped inside.

It was a bedroom. Almost bare, but he didn’t expect much more. His eyes fell on Obi-Wan who was sitting up in the bed, fingers twisting.

Anakin staggered back, his back hitting the wall before he slid down to sit on the floor.

Obi-Wan wasn’t sick. No, he was… He was…

“I’m pregnant with your daughter, Anakin.”

The world spun around him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was done surprisingly quickly. Hopefully the next chapter is just like it. The last chapter.
> 
> And my cat Phantom says hi and that he helped me type (tried to distract me). He also says that to thank all of you for letting me put my full attention back on him now that this chapter is finished. I give it two minutes before he goes back to playing with the other animals and he forgets that I exist.

I Found

Chapter Nine

 

Obi-Wan was pregnant. With his  _ daughter. _

“I-I don’t understand,” he said, looking up at them. “If you, you were both pregnant, why  _ leave _ ?”

“Anakin,” Padme said, kneeling beside him. “We found that the Sith Lord held a high position in the Republic. We were afraid and,” she looked back at Obi-Wan and back to him, “not in a position to fight if it came to it.”

“Why didn’t you wait for me? I would have gone with you, protected you. I love both of you,” he cried, voice cracking.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan said. “Palpatine is the Sith Lord.”

He stilled. “Pal-Palpatine?”

“He’s telling the truth,” Padme said.

“But,” Anakin stopped himself. “He-I trusted him! He said that I could.”

“He manipulated us all,” Padme said. “From the beginning. I made it so that he became Chancellor. And he’s been pulling all of the strings in the galaxy ever since.”

He dropped his head into his hands.

“Anakin?”

“How did I not see it? All along, he made me doubt the Order and both of you. He tried to say that you were both using me and never cared about me.” He looked up at them, tears in his eyes. “Why did I ever believe him?”

“Because he alienated you from everyone. He made himself the only one that you felt that you could rely on,” Obi-Wan said and cleared his throat. “And I only played into his hand when I pushed you away.”

“Obi-Wan,” Padme chided. “We’ve talked about this.”

“My intentions may have been good, but my actions were still the same,” he said.

“It’s okay.”

They both looked down at Anakin.

“It’s okay,” he repeated. “I understand. I forgive you.”

Anakin watched as Obi-Wan’s shoulders relaxed and his hand fell to the baby in his stomach.

“The babies?” Anakin said. “They’re okay? Both of yours?”

Obi-Wan and Padme exchanged a glance.

“Our daughter’s name is Ashla,” he said first. “She’s wonderful.”

“And her siblings,” Anakin’s eyes widened at Padme’s words, “are Luke and Leia.”

“Three?” Anakin whispered.

Padme nodded.

“I’m a father,” he laughed, dropping his head into his hands again. “I’m a father. Where are the twins?”

“We weren’t sure how safe they would be,” Obi-Wan admitted. “We sent them were we knew that they would be safe.”

Anakin stiffened and looked up at them, eyes wide. “He knows where you are. He sent me. You’re not safe.”

Padme bit her lip. “We’ll have to move then. I’m not sure where, though.”

“We can’t.”

Padme and Anakin looked at Obi-Wan, who’d folded his knees up.

“If they know where we are, then they’re watching. They’ll know if we go to leave,” he continued. “I doubt that we’d make it wherever we would be going.”

“Then what can we do?” Padme asked, sitting down. “He expects you to arrest us.”

“Or kill you.”

“What?”

“He wanted to know if I could fight if you resisted,” Anakin admitted. “I think… I’m sure that he wanted me to kill you.”

“It would probably push you fully to the dark side,” Obi-Wan said. “He could begin training you as his apprentice.”

“I couldn’t,” Anakin cried. “Not ever.”

“You wouldn’t have to,” Padme said, sitting up. “If you could convince him that you’d killed us, they’d stop watching us.”

“And he’d trust me,” Anakin said, rising to his knees. He looked at both of them. “You’re not safe as long as he is in power. If I could get close enough to kill him…”

“Could you do it, Anakin?” Obi-Wan asked.

“I-I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I’d do anything to keep my family safe.”

“Don’t take any chances,” Padme said. “If you think that he’s discovered you, leave. We’ll run together.”

“At least don’t take too many chances,” Obi-Wan added.

Anakin smiled. “Why would I when I have my family to return to?”

“Because you’re Anakin Skywalker,” Obi-Wan said, smiling tightly.

Anakin and Padme exchanged a look before he stood and crossed the room to sit on the bed beside Obi-Wan. “It’s okay to be afraid, Obi-Wan, but I will come back. I’ve got too much waiting for me to die now.”

“What if you don’t get the choice?”

“I’ll fight to return to you,” Anakin assured him. He smiled back at Padme before reaching up and pulling the chain from around his neck. He took Obi-Wan’s hand and enclosed it around the chain. “After you left, I found this in your room. We were sent back to that planet and I found the other two. I hope that this reminds you that I will come back.”

“Pearls?” Obi-Wan whispered.

“One for each of us,” Anakin said, nodding.

Obi-Wan brought his fist to rest above his heart. “Do you want to meet her?”

“Could I?”

Obi-Wan nodded and Anakin’s hands softly caressed his belly. They both felt Ashla reach out to them. Anakin gasped, eyes widening.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Padme said softly, leaning against the bed frame beside Obi-Wan. “Feeling the children?”

“It’s indescribable,” Anakin whispered. “And wonderful.”

He looked up at his two lovers. More than anything he wanted to stay in that moment, with them, for the rest of eternity. But their safety was far more important.

“I have to go,” he said, pulling his hands back reluctantly. “The soldiers won’t wait much longer.”

“We’ll be here when you get back.” Padme said, leaning forward to hug him.

He hugged her back, throat tight. When she let go, Padme looked away, wiping tears from her eyes.

He leaned forward and hugged Obi-Wan. “Wait for me,” he whispered and felt the other man shiver.

“I will,” he promised.

Anakin stood and looked at his lovers one last time before walking away. The soldiers were still in front of the house, but had drifted closer.

“General,” Rex called, falling into step with him. “The prisoners?”

“They’re not a problem anymore,” Anakin said and he saw the clone falter from the corner of his eye.

“Yes, sir,” he said. “I’ll make sure that we’re ready to leave.”

It was surprisingly easy for Anakin to act like he had turned to the dark side and killed his lovers. Perhaps the anger that he felt towards the master of his manipulation was the cause.

The soldiers gave him a wide berth and whispered among themselves.

Anakin closed his eyes, more weary than he had realized. He had  _ children.  _ And two people who loved him and were waiting on him. He would return when the galaxy was safe for them once more.

Suddenly, he was knocked out of his seat as the ship rocked and began to list to the side. He staggered to the front of the shuttle, dodging the others stumbling to their feet around him.

“What’s going-?” The words died on his lips. Through the transparisteel he saw a battle. Their ship and an older one were exchanging fire above them. Small fighters twisted and dodged in the space between.

And a beam was pulling their shuttle to the unidentified ship.

“Prepare to be boarded,” he shouted as he turned and ran. He braced himself against the wall opposite the blast door, lightsaber out and ready to be activated. Around him the men prepared for battle.

Slowly, the floor righted beneath their feet. They felt the shuttle touch down on the ship’s deck. He inhaled, about to give the order to open the hatch when it was forced open.

Anakin saw the glint of metal as his eyes adjusted to the ship’s bright lights. He gave up on counting how many blasters were pointed at them and raised his arms. Slowly, the soldiers around him did the same.

“Skywalker,” a familiar voice called as the male weequay stepped into view. “There you are. We’ve been waiting.”

“Hondo,” Anakin said, gritting his teeth. “What do you think you are doing?”

“A little stealing, a little kidnapping,” the pirate said, hands spreading out, a blaster in one. “Perhaps a little ransom.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Anakin nearly growled. “We’re an empire ship. How would this make any profit for you?”

“My view of profit has changed as of late,” Hondo said. “You can come with me and we’ll… negotiate terms.”

Anakin’s eyes narrowed. The pirate’s words didn’t sound like him. “My men will stay safe in our shuttle.”

“Of course,” he agreed. “But they will be under guard to keep any rescuing ideas from their heads.”

Anakin nodded and stepped forward.

“General,” Rex said, a hand on Anakin’s shoulder. “Are you sure about this?”

“I don’t think that they’re going to give us much of a choice,” he replied.

“Be careful, sir.”

Anakin nodded before stepping out of the shuttle. Hondo held his hand out. He glared, but, with all of the blasters around him, he could do nothing else as he handed him his lightsaber.

Hondo led him out of the bay and down the corridor.

“So where did you get the ship? It’s not quite your style,” Anakin asked.

“Some… benefactors have found me recently. We have similar interests.”

“Kidnapping Empire soldiers?”

Hondo shrugged. “A means to an end.”

“What end?”

They stopped at a door. Hondo held his hand out. “After you.”

Anakin pushed the door open and stopped in his tracks.

Yoda and Windu sat opposite of each other, looking at him.

“What are you doing here?” Anakin growled.

“Protecting my interests,” Hondo said as he pushed past him to go to the bottle of liquor on the table at the center of the room.

Windu glared at the pirate.

“A common enemy we all have,” Yoda said, leaning forward. “Your enemy now he is?”

“Palpatine?” Anakin asked. The two Jedi nodded. “Yes.”

“Plans we must make then.”

“How’d you know that I would be here?” Anakin asked.

“We sensed a change in the Force coming,” Windu said. “The only ones that we knew were here that could cause such a change were Obi-Wan and your children.”

Anakin froze. “You let me near them? I could have killed them. I-I wanted to.”

“When?”

Anakin glared at Windu. “As soon as the Emperor ordered me to arrest them.”

“Influencing your mind the Sith has been,” Yoda said. “Further from him you are, the less control he has over you.”

“Could he make me tell the truth when I get back?” Anakin asked, heart beating hard. “That I didn’t kill them?”

“Now that you know how he’s been manipulating you, it will be harder for him to do so,” Windu said.

Anakin nodded. He looked at the three others. “How many of us are there?”

Windu grinned, showing his teeth. “Many, many more.”

“I want my family protected,” Anakin said. “How are we going to take down the Emperor?”

* * *

“They fought and you killed them?”

Anakin nodded and blinked his yellow eyes.

“Two less traitors in the galaxy,” he told Anakin. “The child?”

“Died at birth,” Anakin said. “Weak as Kenobi, of course.”

Palpatine nodded and touched the chain around his neck, thinking. Finally, he looked up at Anakin. “I had thought to wait longer, but I believe now that we are in agreement.”

He stood and crossed the room to the window. “My true name is Darth Sidious. Will you be my apprentice?”

“Yes.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this has been a lovely experience. It feels really good to be writing again. Thank you to everyone who has read, commented, and left kudos. I hope that you like the ending as much as I enjoyed writing it. Also, Phantom says hi once more. He laid on my notebook that I write in before typing. At least he didn't try to stand on my keyboard this time.
> 
> I also discovered that action scenes are extremely daunting. Guess what my next project seems to have a slew of? 
> 
> Which, quick thing to get y'all interested: superhero au! Anakin is secretly a superhero who visits the emergency room where Ben works all too often with the worst excuses for his many injuries. And Ben? He has a secret of his own that he may not be able to keep for much longer. He was raised as a villain.

I Found

Chapter Ten

* * *

It was in the early morning when the labor pains woke Obi-Wan. He couldn’t say that he was surprised, even though it was a few weeks early.

Padme ran and got her sister and before the sun fully rose beyond the horizon a newborn’s cries filled the room. Sweaty and tired, Obi-Wan held his daughter for the first time. He looked down into her small face and knew that he could never willingly leave her.

“It’s like nothing else, isn’t it?” Padme whispered after Sola left them.

He smiled down at Ashla and nodded.

“The galaxy will be safe for them soon.”

* * *

The Dark side was more tempting than Anakin had thought it would be. When Palpatine-Sidious-taught him some new technique or skill, he could feel it pulling at him, drawing him deeper. Only the thought of his family kept him from giving himself over completely.

When he could, Anakin tried to gather evidence that Palpatine was controlling the Empire and its enemies. He’d not expected to find much, but he thought that there would be something at least. But there was nothing.

It had been weeks since Anakin had returned from Naboo. Hondo had returned Anakin to his shuttle and crew and set them adrift with only enough power for life support.

The Jedi had given him contact lenses that turned his eyes an eerie yellow. It had taken a few days for him to get used to them, but he hardly noticed them anymore.

But he pushed all of those thoughts away as he strode through the halls to reach the Emperor’s office. Another lesson. Another afternoon with Palpatine.

The room seemed empty when he stepped in. It wasn’t a rare occurrence. Anakin studied a painting that Palpatine had brought out only after the Jedi had fled.

A battle between Jedi and Sith, with the former beginning a retreat. It made him feel cold every time he saw it.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Palpatine said, coming to stand beside him. “It’s a relic of another age from when there were more than two Sith at a time.”

Palpatine turned and went to his desk. He typed at a display. “I had hoped that we could return to that, to having more than two. But I fear that you will not be part of that. Your children may be more compliant.”

* * *

Ryoo and Pooja adored the three babies. Anytime that Obi-Wan or Padme needed something for them, the girls were eager to help.

They were sitting beside each other, exchanging a smile as the girls ran out to get a new diaper for Luke. the holofeed crackled to life and Obi-Wan’s heart dropped.

“They’re coming,” Hondo Ohnaka said, his image becoming distorted before returning. “...led us away… too far away. We’ll… soon. Get out.”

The feed disappeared.

He looked down at Ashla and held her tighter. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Tears fell from Padme’s eyes. “They’ve found us. And Anakin can’t save us this time.”

He nodded.

She leaned forward and kissed the twins heads. “They’re not getting our children,” she said darkly before she left the room.

Obi-Wan looked out the window. He could see nothing in the sky between the trees, but he knew that it wouldn’t be long.

Padme returned, the others with her. Ahsoka handed him his lightsaber. The handle almost seemed foreign to him after so long without using it. He clipped it to his belt.

“I’m staying. I’ll buy you time,” Darred said.

“Darred, no,” Padme said. “We brought this here. And I need you and Sola to take the babies to safety.”

“But-”

“We’ve fought in the war,” Ahsoka said. She picked up Leia and handed her to him. “We know what we’re doing.”

Padme handed him her sling and they carefully put Luke and Leia in it. Obi-Wan kissed Ashla’s hair and handed her to Sola.

“If this goes badly, we need people that we can trust to raise our children,” Obi-Wan said as Padme took his hand.

Sola reached forward with her free hand to theirs. She looked at them each in turn. “Stay safe. We’ll wait for your call.”

The couple left the room.

“Do we know what’s coming?” Ahsoka asked.

“A lot probably,” Obi-Wan said. “Though I wonder why it was Hondo that warned us. I expected Jedi.”

“You expected this to happen?”

“Eventually,” he said, looking out of the window again. He thought that he could see the outline of a ship.

“So, General, how are we going to play this?” Padme asked.

It’d been a long time since Obi-Wan had stepped foot on the battlefield, but it somehow felt right. “Bring all the weapons left down to here. I’ll activate the force field.”

As Ahsoka and Padme left the room, Obi-Wan opened the panel that hid their security system. He tried to make himself focus on the task at hand, but had trouble.

Anakin. If the Empire was attacking them here, did that mean that Anakin was… No, surely he would have felt it if he had died.

* * *

Anakin almost blocked too late.

A lightsaber had flown to Palpatine seemingly out of nowhere. He’d barely had time to light his saber before the Sith had fallen on him.

“You could have been great,” Palpatine growled, stronger than Anakin had ever expected the older man to be. Anakin stumbled back, blocking each blow as well as he could. “You could have had power.”

“Not at the expense of my family,” Anakin grunted, striking out. “You could never understand how much they mean to me.”

Palpatine’s face twisted. “Oh, yes. Your  _ family _ . Amidala and Kenobi. And your children. Do you really think it would have lasted?”

Anakin faltered and Palpatine took the advantage, pressing him back till anakin lost his footing, falling to the floor. He stared up at the Emperor, fear filling his heart for the first time in a battle since he had been a padawan.

“Emperor Palpatine, you stand accused of crimes against the galaxy,” a voice said from the door, accompanied by the hum of a lightsaber. “You will now answer for these crimes.”

Anakin glanced to the side and saw Mace Windu standing tall, his lightsaber glowing in his hand. Rex stood at his back, facing the room behind them.

Palpatine scowled and leapt at the Jedi Master. They battled, moving away from him. Rex closed the door and locked it behind him before running to Anakin’s side.

“General, are you injured?” he asked, quickly checking the other man over for wounds.

“I’m fine. Rex-you-”

“After Fives…I had my chip removed. I think that they were programmed with orders that Palpatine could activate at any time. The others changed suddenly and left. I alerted a Jedi contact and we were coming up here to stop it when we heard you fighting,” he explained, helping him up.

“They left to kill my family.”

“They’re alive?” Rex asked.

Anakin nodded. “I could never hurt them.”

“Then let’s save them and end this.”

Anakin watched as Windu deflected a strike meant for the crown of his head. “Make sure that no one gets through that door.”

“Yes, sir.”

Anakin inhaled before activating his lightsaber and joining the fight. Together, Windu and Anakin fought, driving Palpatine further away from the door and Rex.

Palpatine stepped back, face twisting. “They’ll alert me once they’ve found your family. We’ll hear their screams as the clones that you once trusted cut them down. And then your children will be mine.”

Anakin faltered for only a moment. In that instant, purple lightning leapt from the man’s fingertips. Anakin raised his lightsaber, blocking it from striking his chest.

“Skywalker, concentrate,” Windu said through grit teeth. His lightsaber was raised as well, sparks lighting his face. “He’s trying to disturb you.”

“You will be the reason that they die.”

Anakin clenched his teeth.

“I will raise your children in the Dark Side. With them by my side, no one will be able to challenge me.”

“Anakin, don’t!”

Lightsaber still raised, Anakin thrust against the floor, throwing himself into the air. He raised his lightsaber and the lightning hit him full in the chest. Blind with pain, he swung down.

The lightning stopped and Anakin fell hard, the air slammed from his lungs. His whole body was on fire and his side ached from hitting the floor.

“Skywalker, can you hear me?”

Windu was kneeling over him. He groaned, sitting up. “Is he dead?”

The other man looked away and Anakin’s eyes followed. Palpatine lay on the floor. His body was nearly cleaved in two, from shoulder to hip.

“Yes, he’s dead,” he answered.

They heard the sound of pounding on the other side of the door.

“I think that we’ve finally got that company,” Rex said, blaster raised to the door.

“The chips,” Anakin said. He looked back at Windu. “Do you think that you can buy me enough time to deactivate them?”

He nodded and helped Anakin up.

Ignoring his pain and breathing shallowly, Anakin stumbled to the desk, his body not cooperating completely. He brought the display up and looked at the many files, his heart sinking.

“Emperor, we have made landing on Naboo. Engaging the enemy now.”

Anakin froze momentarily before he began flicking through the files.

“How’s it going over there?” Windu ground out, keeping the door shut with the Force.

“It’s not like he labeled it ‘My Evil Plan to Conquer the Galaxy.’ I’m going as quickly as I can.”

“Try harder,” he said and suddenly lurched forward. He looked back at Anakin, both eyes wide. “They blocked us from the Force.”

“Brace the door with something. They won’t give us long.”

Anakin focused on the display before him. He wouldn’t find it in time. His chest ached sharply. They would die when the door broke. His family would die on Naboo. He had failed them.

“Skywalker, focus,” Windu said, making Anakin jerk his head up. He never turned from the door, lightsaber in his hand, poised to strike before the door would finish falling. “We’ll give you as much time as you need. Let the Force guide you. It won’t lie to you.”

Was Windu emulating Obi-Wan’s teaching? He’d criticized the other master for being too soft on his padawan before. But it wasn’t the time to be thinking of such things.

He pushed away his fear and frustration and looked back at the display. It was still the same, yet somehow different. On an impulse, he tapped an ordinary looking file. It opened to several more, but there was one near the end labeled ‘Orders’ that made his bones ache. Just as he tapped it, the door splintered open and they were being fired at.

Windu leapt forward, deflecting each shot. Rex fired into the hole and they heard bodies fall.

Anakin looked back and saw a list of numbered orders. He opened one and felt nauseous. The further down he read, the more bile seemed to rise.

A kill order. For the clones to commit mass suicide.

“I found them,” he yelled, fingers moving nimbly. “Disabling them now.”

“Hurry,” Windu grunted.

“Almost there,” he muttered absently. The screen flashed and Anakin bit his lip.

“Stop firing!”

He slumped as he heard the jumble of similar voices speaking over each other in their confusion. Then froze as his chest ached sharply.

Anakin’s mind raced as he looked down at the desk. “Windu?” he said, barely able to hear himself. “I think…”

“Skywalker?”

He looked up at the other man and saw him rush forward as he sat down hard.

“Is this what a heart attack feels like?”

“Anakin, I need you to stay calm,” he turned back to Rex. “I need a healer and any medic that’s nearby that we can trust. Now.”

His hand rose on its own to his chest. “Mace, please make sure that they know that I love them.”

The Master stared at him, mouth slightly open. “I will,” he finally agreed. “But they’ll like it better if it comes from you.”

* * *

There had to be hundreds of them.

All that they had were three people, two lightsabers, and a stash of blasters. This would not end well for them.

“Pick your shots,” he said softly. “Try… try not to think of them.”

“You think that the 501st or 212th are out there?” Ahsoka asked.

Obi-Wan stared out at the bright white armor of the troopers, indistinct and uniform. “I wouldn’t put it past Palpatine.”

“The shield’s not going to hold,” Padme said as they watched the flashes and flares against it.

“Be ready,” Obi-Wan ordered, raising his blaster.

Padme turned away from the view, hiding behind the wall, eyes squeezed shut. He took her hand with his free one.

“At least we’re together,” he said softly.

She nodded quickly, wiping tears from her eyes.

“Thanks for calling me home,” Ahsoka said. She smiled as she looked at them. “It’s been worth it.”

There was a flash and they ducked as a blaster bolt hit the house. Obi-Wan looked outside and saw them marching past the ruined force field.

“They’re coming.”

He raised his blaster and sighted on one of the troopers that was closest to them. He squeezed the trigger and his target fell. He forced himself to breathe and sighted the next shot, ignoring memories of his clones.

He took shot after shot, the women beside him doing the same. As his eyes fell on his next target, he faltered. Even without the colors of his old uniform he knew that man. “Cody,” he whispered.

The hair on the back of his neck rising only gave him a moment’s notice before it felt like a star exploded around them.

“Ahsoka, Obi-Wan! What happened? Are you okay?”

He blinked and looked at Padme’s terrified face then looked around for Ahsoka. She lay on the floor with her eyes wide open, but the blessed rise and fall of her chest told him that she was still alive.

“I think… someone just killed Palpatine,” he murmured. “Are they still attacking?”

“Yes,” she said. “You both fell. I thought that they somehow got both of you.”

He leaned forward and hugged her. “We’re okay,” he whispered and kissed her. “Wait, if they’re still attacking, why aren’t they firing on us?”

“Ohnaka came through,” she answered, motioning to the window. He looked outside to see a shuttle and several pirates between them and the clones. And a small, green being with a glowing lightsaber deflecting shot after shot.

“Yoda’s here?” he said. “But if Ahsoka and I reacted how we did, how is he even still fighting?”

“I don’t know,” Padme admitted. “Is he that powerful?”

Obi-Wan nodded, watching the battle before him. He caught the moment that the army seemed to change, lifting their weapons before dropping them.

“We won,” he said and looked down at Padme, who knelt beside Ahsoka. “The Empire isn’t in control anymore.”

* * *

Obi-Wan remembered the hours of terror after the battle. The exact moment when Windu had sent a half-distorted message telling them what had happened on Coruscant would forever be seared into his memory. He and Padme had held each other and Ahsoka, scared to leave and miss any message.

When he finally appeared, it was to give them relief. Anakin would live. The damage from the heart attack would trouble him for some time, but he would live.

Obi-Wan lay in bed with Padme, the sound of their babies breathing from their cribs calming him. He turned into her hair, inhaling the scent of her hair before nudging her awake.

“He’s coming home,” he whispered. “He’s almost here.”

She blinked up drowsily at him before she smiled and kissed him. “Let’s welcome our husband home and introduce him to his children.”

They rose from bed and dressed before waking the children and carrying them out of the room. Padme peeked into Ahsoka’s room.

“Should we wake her up?”

Obi-Wan smiled and nodded. “We can’t leave out our first daughter.”

Padme went into the room and roused her as Obi-Wan waited in the hall, smelling Luke and Ashla’s hair. Finally they both left the bedroom and Ahsoka waved them out the door as she went to the kitchen to get caf.

The sun was just rising and they could see the shuttle as it began to descend between them and the camp of clones.

They leaned into each other as they waited. Finally, it touched down and the hatch opened.

Windu stepped out and looked around, eyes falling on the clone camp and then them.

A Jedi healer helped a man in a hoverchair out and Obi-Wan’s heart leapt to his throat.

Anakin was pale and looked more weary than he’d ever seen him, but he was there and he was alive.

“He insisted that we leave before he was cleared, so we’re a little early and Healer Fa will be staying for his care,” Windu explained as they reached them.

“I couldn’t stay away,” Anakin said, smiling at them, his eyes betraying his exhaustion.

Obi-Wan knelt, Padme a moment behind him. “This is Luke,” he said, nodding at the baby in his left arm. He nodded to the one in his right. “And this is Ashla.”

“This is Leia,” Padme said. “They’ve been very excited to meet you.”

“They’re beautiful,” he exhaled in awe.

“Wait till you see their diapers.”

They all looked up and found Ahsoka behind them, sipping caf.

“I can’t wait,” Anakin said, looking at them each in turn. His eyes drifted to the pearls that rested around Padme’s throat and smiled wider. She tilted her head towards Obi-Wan and bit her lip through a smile.

He was home.

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter will hopefully be posted in two weeks.


End file.
